The Kano State Government has recruited 2,037 health personnel to address manpower shortages across public health facilities and strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf disclosed this on Wednesday while presenting appointment letters to the newly recruited health workers, saying the exercise was part of efforts to improve staffing levels across the state’s health facilities.
Yusuf said the recruitment included medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, community health officers, laboratory scientists and other health professionals needed to provide essential healthcare services.
“The 2,037 newly recruited personnel include 250 medical doctors, 40 pharmacists, 250 nurses, 250 midwives, 150 Community Health Officers, 50 Junior Community Health Extension Workers and 50 medical laboratory scientists, among other health professionals,” the governor said.
He explained that the recruitment became necessary because of shortages of healthcare workers in the state, a situation he said had been worsened by the movement of doctors, nurses and other professionals to other locations in search of better opportunities.
“The recruitment became necessary due to the shortage of healthcare workers in the state, which has been worsened by the migration of doctors, nurses and other professionals to other locations in search of better opportunities,” Yusuf said.
The governor, however, warned the newly recruited personnel against maltreating patients, demanding money before providing medical consultation or denying residents timely care in public health facilities.
Yusuf urged the health workers to discharge their responsibilities with compassion, integrity, discipline and professionalism, while respecting the rights and dignity of patients irrespective of their social status, religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.
He specifically directed the workers not to make payment a condition for patients requiring urgent medical attention.
“No patient should be denied timely medical attention or subjected to unnecessary hardship because of inability to pay before receiving care,” the governor said.
The governor said the appointments should not be viewed merely as employment opportunities but as a responsibility to serve residents and contribute to improving healthcare delivery across the state.
“The recruitment is aimed at addressing manpower shortages in healthcare facilities across Kano State,” Yusuf said.
He urged the beneficiaries to remain dedicated to their duties and uphold professional standards in their interactions with patients, stressing that their conduct would be important to the public’s confidence in government health facilities.
“Your appointments should be seen as a responsibility to serve the people of Kano State and contribute to improving the quality of healthcare delivery across the state,” he said.
The governor also urged the new employees to work with other health professionals and ensure that residents receive efficient and respectful treatment whenever they visit public health facilities.
The recruitment is expected to increase the number of health personnel available across Kano’s public healthcare system, particularly in facilities facing shortages of doctors, nurses, midwives and other essential professionals.
Yusuf said the government would continue to monitor manpower needs in the health sector and respond to identified gaps as they arise.
“The state government will continue to take measures to strengthen the health sector and address manpower requirements as they arise,” the governor said.
The latest recruitment forms part of the state government’s broader efforts to strengthen healthcare services by increasing the availability of trained personnel across public health facilities.
The manpower challenge has remained a concern for health systems in many parts of the country, particularly as trained professionals leave their original places of employment in search of better opportunities, increasing pressure on the personnel who remain.
For Kano, the government’s latest intervention combines the expansion of the health workforce with a renewed emphasis on the conduct of healthcare workers and the treatment of patients in public facilities.
West Trybe reports that the recruitment of 2,037 health workers is expected to ease staffing pressures across Kano’s public health facilities, while the governor’s warning places patient welfare, timely access to care and professional conduct at the centre of the government’s latest health-sector intervention.
