The Plateau State Government has approved the recruitment of additional health workers across various cadres to address manpower shortages and strengthen the health system.
This was contained in the communiqué adopted at the end of the 11th State Council on Health held in Jos between August 19 and 21, with the theme “Repositioning Plateau State Health Systems Towards Achieving the Universal Health Coverage.”
Briefing journalists on the resolutions, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, explained that the Council acknowledged the urgent need to scale up manpower in line with the state’s increasing population.
According to him, “The Council noted the urgent need to increase manpower relative to the growing population of the state and approved the request for the recruitment of different cadres of health personnel with commensurate remuneration.”
The communiqué also endorsed the creation of a task force to oversee the development and implementation of human resource programs for eye care in primary healthcare centers.
Ba’amlong added, “We are determined to strengthen primary healthcare services and ensure that even at the local level, citizens have access to quality healthcare. The resolutions we have reached are not just on paper; we are committed to implementation.”
He further assured residents that the State Ministry of Health would work with local government health authorities to ensure equitable distribution of the newly recruited health personnel.
The Council brought together key stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Health, donor partners, civil society, academia, professional bodies, and the private sector who made contributions toward improving health outcomes in the state.
Ba’amlong noted that the communiqué would be published on the Ministry’s website and distributed to local government health departments for public access.
