The Niger chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), has advised the state government to improve the working environment of medical workers so as to keep them in service.

Dr. Abdullahi Jibril, its chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Minna that many health workers had left the service because the working environment was “very horrible”.

“A dirty and stinking working environment irritates medics; it deters them from putting in their best,” Jibril said.

He regretted that many quality health workers had been lost to other employers owing to such bad environment, saying that doctors and nurses get “psychologically down” when faced with “nauseating” working environment.

“Job satisfaction goes beyond salary; every worker needs a clean and well kept environment to thrive. This is lacking in Niger’s health institutions,” he said.

The NMA chief advised the state government to improve infrastructure in its medical centres so as to maximise the potential of its workers.

He said that a poor working environment was dangerous to both the medics and the patients, and called for a special attention to the dirty environment so as to save lives.

“The budgetary allocation to the heath sector by the Niger government is encouraging. What is lacking is effective implementation to boost heath care delivery,” he said. (NAN)