Gombe to implement new waiver policy for Nurses, Midwives

Gombe state Government is to implement the waiver policy of three years training period for Nurses and Midwives retiring before attaining the age of 60 as a way of bridging the gap of inadequate health workers in that sector.

The Head of the State Civil Service, Dr. Daniel Musa, told news men in Gombe on Thursday that following the shortage of manpower in the health sector, the state government was prompted to implement the policy.

According to him, “Initially when a Nurse or Midwives was admitted in school, the three years he or she will spend before graduation, were included in their 35 years of service.”

He explained further that Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has approved the policy because the number of Nurses and Midwives retiring, annually, outnumbered those gaining admission into the State’s School of Nursing and Midwifery.

He said, “There is a serious deficit in terms of personnel, the only way one can reduce the deficit is by introducing the training waiver”.

The Head of Service also said the waiver will go a long way in reducing costs because government was spending huge sums in terms of re-engaging personnel who retired.

“When a Nurse or Midwife retires at Grade level 14, she or he will be collecting pension and if the government re-engage him or her, will be collecting a full salary of level 13 which is additional cost to government “.

“But with the current development, if a Nurse or Midwife is about to retire, based on compulsory 35 years of service when he or she has not reach 60 years, the state government has waived the three years training spent in school” Dr. Musa explained.