Zamfara State Government has promised to recruit 280 additional healthcare professional to address the shortage of personnel in the sector.
Governor Abdul’aziz Yari gave the promise on Wednesday at a meeting with health development partners working in the state, at the Government House, Gusau.
Yari said that his administration had identified shortage of personnel as one of the factors affecting healthcare delivery in the state and resolved to remedy the situation.
He said that consequently, 50 medical doctors, 100 nurses and midwives, 50 medical laboratory scientists, 30 dental technicians, and 50 pharmacy technicians were to be employed under the exercise.
The governor said that his administration had sponsored and trained more than 100 medical doctors, both locally and in foreign universities.
Yari, however, decried the migration of trained healthcare professionals from the state as soon as they completed their programmes.
The governor, who expressed concern over the conflicting figures of existing medical doctors and nurses in the state, said that the nominal roll indicated that 100 medical doctors were in the state’s service.
Yari also said though the figure from the Hospital Service Management indicated that 100 doctors were paid every month, less than 50 reported to work in the health facilities.
“I have directed for the immediate redeployment of all primary healthcare staff working under the Local Government Service Commission to the State Primary Healthcare Board.’’
He said the state government was committed to providing enough support to the board for it to function effectively.
The governor said that the state would soon release its N109 million counterpart fund to strengthen routine immunisation structures in line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the state, Dangote and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations.
Yari said that contract for the construction of work-in cold rooms had been awarded by the government as part of the agreement.
He also said his administration had renovated, expanded and equipped 67 Primary Health Care Centres across the state.
The governor assured the development partners of regular quarterly meeting with them, to enable him understand areas of support they needed from the state government.
