Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has approved the recruitment of 473 medical personnel and introduced a 100 per cent rural posting allowance for doctors as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in underserved communities across the state.
The initiative is aimed at addressing the shortage of skilled health workers in rural areas and improving access to quality medical services for residents outside the state capital.
The Chief Medical Director of the Borno State Hospital Management Board, Abubakar Kullima, disclosed the development on Thursday in Maiduguri, stating that the governor had approved the immediate employment of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and community health extension workers.
Kullima explained that the recruitment also includes specialised health professionals and support staff such as perioperative care nurses and primary eye care workers, who will be deployed to both newly established and existing health facilities across the state.
According to him, the newly recruited personnel will be distributed across general hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the three senatorial zones to strengthen healthcare service delivery at both the secondary and grassroots levels.
He noted that the measure forms part of broader reforms by the Zulum administration to rebuild and expand healthcare services following years of insurgency that severely strained the state’s public health infrastructure.
Beyond the recruitment exercise, the governor has also directed the immediate implementation of a 100 per cent rural allowance for doctors and a 40 per cent allowance for nurses serving in remote communities.
The incentive, approved through a memo issued to the hospital management board, is intended to attract qualified medical professionals to rural postings, where challenging working conditions and limited facilities have often discouraged deployment.
Under the new policy, doctors who accept rural assignments will receive significantly enhanced remuneration, a step officials say is necessary to address the persistent shortage of medical personnel outside major urban centres.
Health sector observers believe the initiative could substantially improve the availability of healthcare workers in rural communities, where residents frequently travel long distances to access medical services.
The recruitment and incentive scheme form part of a broader healthcare reform programme undertaken by Governor Zulum, which includes the approval of special training funds for resident doctors and the establishment of specialised health facilities such as eye and dental hospitals.
Officials say the latest measures are expected to improve staffing levels in public hospitals, strengthen service delivery and expand access to essential healthcare services across communities in Borno State.
