From: Murtala Muhammad
The Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman, has raised the alarm over the ongoing retirement of healthcare practitioners from Bauchi State's primary health sector, which continues to contribute to a shortage of manpower in the state.
He expressed his concerns during a one-day stakeholders' engagement meeting organised by the World Bank-assisted Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transformation Services (IMPACT) project, held in Bauchi.
Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu, who also serves as the Chairman of the Emirate Councils' Committee on Health (BASECCOH), noted that many health facilities in rural areas were virtually empty due to a lack of skilled personnel to manage them.
The Emir, who lamented the situation, stated that the recruitment or replacement of retiring personnel remains a significant challenge.
He described the situation as alarming for every concerned citizen in the state and called for decisive action to engage the few healthcare graduates who, according to him, are wandering the streets daily without employment.
Speaking at the event, the Project Manager, Dr Adamu Muhammad, announced that as part of its 2025 work plan, the project would recruit approximately one hundred Community Health and Environmental Workers (CHEWs) for deployment to rural healthcare facilities.
Dr Muhammad explained that the purpose of the stakeholders' engagement meeting was to review the successes achieved and challenges faced over the last three years of the project's implementation.
In his closing remarks, the State Deputy Governor, Mohammed Auwal Jatau, who also chairs the Task Force on Primary Health Care, urged male heads of households to take responsibility for feeding their wives and children with locally grown nutritious food to ensure healthy living.
Mohammed Jatau commended the Emir of Dass and all stakeholders for their commitment and selfless service to the people of the state.
The meeting was attended by the state Commissioner of Health, the Executive Chairman of the State Primary Health Care Board, representatives of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, civil society organisations, implementing partners, and traditional leaders.
Five papers were presented, highlighting various stages of the project's implementation.
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