Enugu Government increases NYSC members’ allowance

Enugu State Government has announce increase in the allowance for
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC ) members serving in primary
healthcare facilities in rural areas in the state .
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Ogbuagu Anikwe, announced this in
Enugu on Wednesday while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State
Executive Council meeting .
Anikwe said that medical doctors serving in hospitals in rural areas
would henceforth receive N 30 , 000 monthly from the state government
as against N 3 , 800 being given to them currently .
Similarly, he said, pharmacists , nurses, radiographers , laboratory
scientists and statisticians would receive a monthly stipend of N 20 ,
000 .
He announced that the government also planned to review the service
condition and welfare of other set of corps members in the state.
The commissioner explained that the increase in allowances of the
corps members serving in health facilities was to further ensure that
health services were taken close to rural dwellers .
"The government has approved that each corps member selected to work
as a medical doctor in government hospital in the rural areas will get
a monthly stipend of N 30 , 000 .
"All of these will cost the government extra N 31 . 2 million per
annum but it is an expense that is worth it. It is to ensure that
health facilities are available at the door steps of our people , " he
said.
Anikwe said that the government noted the challenges of getting
medical personnel to work health facilities in rural communities and
decided on the incentive .
According to him , the council decided that one sure way to solve the
problem is to get health personnel from the NYSC who will be
encouraged with an increased stipend .
The commissioner said that the state government had invested much in
rural communities and would want such facilities to have direct impact
on the inhabitants.
"Before now , Enugu had a peculiar problem because the state was
paying a certain amount as allowance and it led to an influx of youth
corps members from all over the country , wanting to serve here.
"It then became impossible for the state government to continue to
sustain that stipend because we are not out of the woods yet.
"So , we are not unmindful of what to do for corps members but
everything we are doing, we check our purse.
"I am sure that as the finances of the state government improves , we
will come to a point where everybody is given an allowance that
enables them cope with the condition of life in the country ," he
said.
Anikwe said that the government was first looking at very critical
sectors, adding that others would follow soon.
He said that the governor , Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi , was passionate about
making residents of the state competitive and healthy " and that is
why his economic blueprint traversed the entire state ".
Also, Commissioner for Works , Mr Greg Nnaji, said that the state
government had approved the renovation and upgrade of eight district
hospitals across the state .
Nnaji said that the gesture was to reduce the pressure on secondary
health facilities in the state and to ensure that residents did not
have to travel to the state capital for medical attention .
He said that such hospitals and clinics would now wear new looks while
modern health equipment would be installed in them.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN ) reports that all youth corps members
posted to rural communities of the state are paid monthly stipend of N
3 , 800 each