Niger health agency tackles online medium over reportage

Journalists have been called upon to cross-check their facts and balance their reports before publication. Director, Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Primary Health Care, Niger State, Dr. Junaidu Inuwa, gave the advice while reacting to a recent publication by an online medium, Sahara Reporters.

Inuwa faulted the story allegedly accusing the Ministry for non-payment of six months salaries of the 200 Basic Health Care Provision Funds -MSS midwives health workers on contract scheme since 2022.

Inuwa explained that such categories of staff were employed on contract basis across the 25 Local Councils of the state, adding that it is a scheme to provide essential services to primary health care facilities across the state.

He acknowledged the two months delay of salary as part of the delay of release of funds from the BHCPF/MSS, which has been received and paid to the beneficiaries accordingly.

He further hinted that no outstanding payment regarding such categories of workers, saying that the 200 midwives were placed on stipends of N62,000 each per month, pointing out that the Ministry is now waiting for the next trench of funding this August.

He stated that majority of women that have benefited from the scheme, including Salima Mohamed and Aishat Ummi have narrated how their livelihood were uplifted through the service provider of N62,000 monthly salaries which have been sustaining their families.

His words: “Among the 200 employed by Basic Health Care Provision Funds -MSS,54 of them have been employed into the state civil service in the recent recruitment of 1,000 health workers.”