The Enugu State Government says it will be employing no fewer than 400 clinical and non clinical staff within its functional Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) to strengthen manpower needs.
The Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku disclosed this to journalists in Enugu. Ani-Osheku noted that those to be employed are based on existing manpower gaps identified in PHCs in each of the 17 council areas. She said that the agency and the health ministry had already collated data on the PHC centre equipment and manpower gaps in the 17 council areas in the state.
According to her, from onset accurate manpower and other available equipment needs and gaps was identified and duly recorded; and now the state government has concluded plans to fill in the man-power gap in each PHC centre. She said that the recruitment would involve the intake of clinical staff like nurses, midwives and lab scientists as well as other non-clinical staff such as ward attendants, and cleaners among others.
The executive secretary said that in order to check truancy those to be recruited would come from communities or council area where the PHC they would work is domiciled. Ani-Osheku said that the Type-2 PHC facilities, being built and well-furnished, would come with accommodation for staff on duty so that issue of truancy or abandonment of facility would never surface again.
She said that with all set, PHC centres would deliver quality healthcare service at the doorsteps of the people and ensure that 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the healthcare burdens of communities are addressed timely.
“We are going to have a digital clocking system for the PHC centres, which will also be viewed in my office here, to enable us know when and how many staff report to work on-the-spot each day. This will be done with a digital firm that had entered into partnership with the state government on that.
“We are also synergizing with the community dwellers to get feedback from them on the condition of service delivery and attitude of staff posted to their PHC centres. Within few year all our 260 Type-2 PHC facilities, built and well-furnished from the scratch, will be ready and with accommodation for staff.
“All PHC centres, as envisioned by our amiable Excellency, Gov. Peter Mbah, will have alternative clean energy supply through solar power; so days of no power or facility being dark at night will be over,” she said.
She noted that Gov. Mbah is currently repositioning PHC centres knowing that it holds the key to sustaining healthcare ad reaching millions of the residents of the state with affordable and timely healthcare in their communities. The executive secretary noted that all is being done to ensure the best for the PHCs, its man-power, and equipment as well as boosting confidence of the people to use and take advantage of the wide range of PHC services even the health insurance services it offer.
