Healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), employed under the Expanded Midwives Service Scheme (eMSS) have expressed their frustration over unpaid salary arrears for the past four months. These workers have accused the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and Sydani Group, which provides technical support to the NPHCDA, of failing to meet their financial obligations.

The eMSS, implemented by the Federal Government through the NPHCDA, is part of a national initiative aimed at improving maternal and child health across Nigeria. However, despite their contributions to this critical healthcare programme, many of the healthcare workers employed under the scheme have not received their salaries since August 2023.

Dr. Nafisa Muhammad, a doctor working at the Primary Health Care Centre in Dije Bala and Madalla, Niger State, revealed to reporters that she resigned from her previous job to take up employment with eMSS. Unfortunately, she has not been paid for four months since joining the programme. Dr. Muhammad explained that her appointment letter stated that her contract was to commence on July 1, 2023, and last until July 1, 2024. Like many others, she was required to resign from her previous job in order to join eMSS.

However, just a few days before July, she and other recruits were told to delay their assumption of duty until further notice. Eventually, they were instructed to begin work on August 1, 2023. Since then, four months have passed, and Dr. Muhammad and her colleagues have not received any payment for their services, despite the challenging economic conditions in the country. Dr. Muhammad emphasized the financial difficulties caused by the delay, highlighting that many healthcare workers have been forced to take loans and endure significant hardship to make ends meet.

Walter Elsie, a nurse employed through the eMSS programme in Rivers State, shared a similar experience. Elsie explained that the recruitment process was conducted by Sydani Group, which handled the online screening, interviews, and orientation. Although they were informed that the programme was a partnership between NPHCDA, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other international bodies, the workers were still expected to resign from their previous jobs and start working for eMSS in July 2023. Like Dr. Muhammad, Elsie has yet to receive any salary since assuming her role.

In September, some workers in Rivers State started raising concerns about the delayed payments. According to Elsie, only five workers out of over 100 were paid that month, and they were told that the accounts of the remaining employees had been misplaced. Workers were asked to resubmit their account details, but no further payments were made despite the assurances from the authorities.

Another nurse, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed deep frustration over the issue, saying that many staff members have been waiting for nearly five months without being paid. The nurse explained that Sydani Group and the NPHCDA have repeatedly given empty promises and have failed to address the workers’ grievances. The nurse pointed out that despite being contract staff earning as little as N45,000 per month, there has been no urgency to resolve the payment issues, affecting more than 1,500 healthcare workers nationwide.

Adagu Agu, a CHEW at a Primary Health Care Centre in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, also lamented the non-payment of salary arrears. According to Agu, workers under the eMSS project signed contracts in July 2023 and have fulfilled their responsibilities, yet the majority of them have not been compensated.

Responding to the allegations, an analyst at Sydani Group, Leyira Ken, acknowledged that the organization has received multiple complaints from eMSS employees about their unpaid salaries. However, Ken clarified that Sydani Group is not the employer in the eMSS project and was only contracted to provide technical support to the NPHCDA. Ken advised the aggrieved workers to direct their concerns to the NPHCDA, reassuring them that their payments would eventually be processed.

Efforts to obtain a response from the Secretary to the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr. Muyi Aina, were unsuccessful. Calls and messages to her phone went unanswered, leaving the affected workers with little clarity about when their salary arrears would be paid.

In the meantime, the healthcare workers remain in financial distress, and many are demanding immediate action from the authorities to resolve the issue and prevent further hardship.