By Atlantic Reports

The Borno Government says it has recruited nearly 2,000 health workers over the past two years to address personnel shortages, although more staff are needed to meet demand for care.

Dr Saleh Kaza, Executive Secretary of the Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (BOSCHMA), disclosed this on Monday in Maiduguri.

Kaza said the recruitment of doctors, nurses and other health professionals had reduced staffing gaps across the state’s healthcare system.

He acknowledged, however, that the workforce remained insufficient for the growing number of people seeking medical services.

According to Kaza, the contributory healthcare scheme has increased demand, particularly through its formal sector programme for state civil servants. Beneficiaries of the state’s vulnerable groups programme also require adequate staffing and services.

He said BOSCHMA was working to strengthen healthcare facilities so that enrollees could obtain affordable, quality treatment.

The recruitment figure was not accompanied by a breakdown of professions, deployment locations or the number of workers retained. Those details would help establish whether facilities with the greatest shortages are receiving additional personnel.

Kaza said the government was also investing in medical and nursing education to build a more sustainable workforce.

He identified Kashim Ibrahim University and other health training institutions as sources of future personnel, expressing optimism that their graduates would strengthen staffing within the next two to three years.

That remains a projection dependent on training completion and subsequent recruitment.

He added that two additional colleges of nursing were expected to begin admitting students, while existing institutions were expanding their intake. He did not specify when admissions would commence.

Kaza called for continued cooperation among government, healthcare providers and relevant agencies to address staffing and service delivery challenges.

He also commended Governor Babagana Zulum for consistently meeting the state’s subsidy obligations to the contributory healthcare scheme.

For patients, broader insurance coverage must be matched by available professionals, functioning facilities and essential medicines. Kaza said sustained investment in all three was necessary to improve access to care across Borno.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.