Group urges Bauchi govt to employ more health workers
Samuel Luka, Bauchi
A non-governmental organization, Bauchi state Network of Civil Society Organization (BASNEC) has tasked the state government to recruit more health workers to man the various primary healthcare centers (PHCs) across the state to make healthcare delivery more accessible to rural dwellers.
Programme Officer of BASNEC, Mr. Sukumun Ezekiel made the call during the organization’s end of advocacy meeting on the strategic role of primary healthcare in the state.
According to him, primary healthcare centres particularly, the ones situated in rural areas lack the requisite equipment, drugs and are also over-stretched due to shortage of manpower.
Ezekiel explained that the body has embarked on the advocacy initiative in the last one year on the need for the state government to make the minimum service package in primary health centres a policy so that poor people can access basic health services.
He said the minimum service package seeks to ensure that all primary healthcare centers get standard drugs, basic equipment, water and sanitation facilities.
Chairman of the organization, Mr. Jinjiri Garba, had earlier in a remark stated that the meeting was aimed at evaluating the one -year advocacy project carried out by BASNEC on primary healthcare in the state.
Garba, who applauded the state government for allocating 16 per cent of the state’s budget to the health sector, however, advised that government should ensure the release of funds as the budget performance in the sector within the period under review was less than three per cent in the state.
