In his bid to address the rising deficit of manpower in the health sector, Cross River state governor, Sen. Bassey Otu, has approved the employment of 31 medical doctors, 22 pharmacists, and 153 nurses.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, who made this known to newsmen in his office in Calabar on Wednesday, said the development was a practical demonstration of the Otu-led administration’s commitment to the health and well-being of Cross Riverians.
Ayuk acknowledged that the unprecedented influx of those seeking health services from state-owned public health facilities was due to the people’s confidence in the renewed vigor in healthcare service delivery by the present administration.
He said: “Cross River, with a population of approximately 3.4 million people, had been grappling with a paltry number of 20 doctors and 938 nurses in the state’s secondary health facilities, which remained a worrisome situation.
“This is what Governor Otu was poised to address by approving the employment of more hands.”
He noted that the injection of new personnel into the health sector through the employment of 31 medical doctors, 22 pharmacists, and 153 nurses will significantly bridge the human capacity gap in the Health Ministry and equip the sector with the necessary manpower to carry out clinical activities in public health facilities across the state.
