About 300 million naira is needed monthly to meet up with the demand of the striking medical and health workers in Gombe state. According to Alh Mohammed Magaji, the workers demanded for 100% increment of salary which will raise the total money to about 294million naira from its original 149million naira monthly, he calls on the general public to help appeal to the workers to resume back to work and reduce their demand to about 45%
Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mohammed Isa Umar, has blamed the extent of havoc caused by cholera epidemic in the state on the industrial action embarked upon by the doctors and health workers.
 
"It is unfortunate that doctors and health workers for refusing to see the good efforts employed by the state government towards the amicable resolution of the matter. They still turned deaf ears despite the offer of 45 per cent increase in their salaries.
 
"They failed to consider the raging menace of cholera which is consuming lives in the state by calling off their prolonged strike and go back to work", he had said.
 
Speaking at a cholera, child survival and maternal health, convened by Voice of America (Hausa programme) in collaboration with the state Ministry of Health, the commissioner explained that this compelled his ministry to establish a camp in Gombe, where victims are being attended to by private aid groups in the state.
 
He revealed that "so far, no fewer than 122 lives have been lost in the state with close to 2,000 cases been reported since the outbreak of cholera in the country".
 
Out of the figure, Gombe Local Government had 686 cases, Balanga 608, Akko 266 and Yamaltu-Deba 227 while fewer cases were reported in the other seven local government areas during the five weeks strike embarked upon by the Doctors and health workers of the state government.
 
Accordingly, he appealed to the health workers in Gombe state and the nation at large, to always consider the plight of the citizenry especially to avoid a repeat of the ugly development that their strike action has brought on the people. He called for a call-off of the industrial action as government is very much desirous to reach amicable conclusion with the workers over their demand.
 
He said the first round of negotiations with the striking healthcare givers broke down due to some factors but that a second one was underway and they are demanding for 100 per cent salary increase despite the fact that Gombe State pays the highest salary to health workers in the entire North-East geo-political zone.
 
The commissioner hinted that the state government had commissioned the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research which carried out research in various areas with a view to establish a firm control of cholera and other similar epidemics in the state.
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