The Midwives Service Scheme Association on Tuesday protested to the National Assembly over non payment of their 13 month outstanding arrears by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
In a protest letter which was addressed to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and was obtained by DAILY POST, the association lamented that over 3,600 Midwives employed by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency headed by Dr Ado Mohammed, who were earlier deployed across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja have not been paid by the agency in the last 13 months.
The Association wondered why the scheme which was funded by the MDAS, DRA with the aim of achieving MDGS 4 & 5 and managed by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency could owe them for this long even when the Association have on good authority that funds were being released as at when due by previous government of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
The document reads in part: “Major problem confronting the scheme at present is mainly the non payment of 13 months allowance and all efforts to get authorities concern including the Federal Ministry of Health have not yielded result,” it said.
The letter which was signed by the association’s National President, Agnes Odeh alleged that in the course of agitation for payment of their allowances, particularly on April 26th 2015, the Association declined from honouring an invitation through a text message on the inclination that the Director of NPHDA, Dr. Ado has concluded plans to bribe executives of the association for a soft landing while promising that the allowances would be paid if budgets for 2015 was passed into law.
“Based on the resolution of our members, we declined from honouring the invitation on the basis that they may want to induce us. However, to our utmost surprise, 4 delegation from the Ministry pleaded that we should meet them in a Hotel opposite Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja which all our members were present,”the paper reads.
The Association explained that a truce which was reached and a communique issued on 26th April 2015 was flagrantly disobeyed by the agency through the machination of the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Linus Awute.
They called for a quick intervention by the National Assembly in order to avert incidences of women and child morbidity with which they have been saddled to cater for, especially at the grassroots levels.
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