By Ani Bassey
The AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Network, ATM Network, has called for urgent recruitment of 7,000 health workers to address critical manpower shortages in primary health facilities across Cross River State.
Speaking during an advocacy meeting with the Special Adviser on Health to the Cross River State governor, Dr. Ekpo Bassey, the State Coordinator of the Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition, ACOMIN, Pastor Effiong Udobong, said the situation has been worsening since 2023.
“The number of health workers is not enough and some facilities have only one staff,” he said.
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He noted that delay in recruitment was affecting service delivery as staff retire daily, adding that there have been cases of skill mismatch where health workers were deployed as clerical officers.
“We need 7,000 health care workers and during recruitment, the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency should be in charge because they will know the right people to be deployed,” he added.
State Programme Officer of the ATM Network, Victor Ogwuche, cited the newly built health facility in Obioimo Community, Odukpani LGA, which currently has no staff to manage it, and emphasized the urgent need for fresh recruitments.
Also speaking, Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, NEPWHAN, Sunday Eminue, said the ATM Network identifies challenges through focus group discussions with communities using the Community Lead Monitoring Team, CLMT, members.
He said the CLMT members resolve issues at PHC level while issues beyond them are escalated to the State Advocacy Team team that pushes for solutions at the state level.
The network made four demands to the Special Adviser which comprises the recruitment of every two years after the mass recruitment exercise and also that qualifies Health workers Volunteers who have been serving in the Health facility should be given priority in the recruitment.
In addition, it demanded that qualified but retired Health Workers should have an opportunity to serve on contract for transfer of skill the newly recruited staff in the facilities. Besides, it recommended continuous regular training and retraining of health workers to improve quality health care service delivery in reduction of Morbidity and Mortality rates towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Cross River State.
The team also hailed various interventions in the health sector particularly rbr approval of extension of service for retiring health workers.
Responding, Special Adviser to the Cross River State Governor on Health, Dr. Ekpo Bassey, commended the CSOs and acknowledged manpower as a major challenge.
“Health is wealth, no productivity without health. So many interventions are being done at the PHC level and the focus is on efficient delivery,” he said.
“The government has approved the recruitment of health workers and the process will soon kick off. I assure you that the information will not end in my office and the government will take measures to address them,” he added.
The ATM Network comprises of ACOMIN, NEPWHAN, and TBNETWORK, implementing the Global Fund GC7 Integrated CLM Grant in Cross River State along side Institute of Human Virology in Nigeria IHVN.
