BY: NASIRU MOHAMMED WAZIRI, KANO
The federal government of Nigeria through National Health Fellowship program has recruited 44 healthcare personnel as part of the government’s commitments in ensuring that healthcare activities meets the necessary acceptable standards across the country.
Mahmud Tajo Sani Gaya, the chairman of Gaya local government area in Kano state in an interview with GLOBAL TRACKER in Kano on friday said the development is a strategic initiative of the federal government of Nigeria, implemented in collaboration with the Kano State Ministry of Health and other key stakeholders.
Gaya who doubled as chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) explained that the program is designed to ensure that healthcare activities across the country meet acceptable standards across the 36 states and the federal capital territory.
According to him, the initiative focuses on engaging qualified health professionals to oversee healthcare delivery at the local government level, with the aim of aligning Nigeria’s health system with global best practices and guaranteeing access to quality healthcare services for all citizens.
When asked about the rationale behind constituting a screening and interview committee, Mahmud stated that the committee was made up of eight officials tasked with scrutinizing the qualifications, professional experience, and discipline of all applicants.
He noted that only candidates who met the required standards were recommended and appropriately placed where necessary.
He further emphasized that the recruitment exercise was conducted with strict professionalism to ensure that only competent and qualified health personnel were selected into the fellowship.
Mahmud also explained that the interview panel consisted of professionals drawn from diverse fields, including four medical doctors from different medical specialties, medical academics, representatives of ALGON, and other relevant professionals.
According to him, the programme attracted an overwhelming response, with not less than 100,000 applicants from health professionals and other related fields nationwide applying for the fellowship.
Out of this number, 132 candidates, who were screened and forwarded by the Federal Ministry of Health, were interviewed.
He further said the interview process spanned five days and was ongoing at the time of his statement.
He added that three candidates from each of the 44 local government areas of Kano State were screened and subsequently forwarded to the Federal Government for final consideration. From these, one candidate per local government area will ultimately be selected and awarded a fellowship slot.
The National Health Fellows Programme is a one-year structured fellowship established by the Federal Government of Nigeria and housed under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office within the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The programme was approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as part of a broader strategy to strengthen healthcare delivery across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.