By Abbas Bamalli
The Association of Colleges and Schools of Health Science and Technology has appealed to Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina to as a matter of urgency recruit more healthcare workers in the state.
Briefing newsmen in Katsina on Monday, the Chairman of the association, Alhaji Tukur Shehu, said that the appeal was out of high necessity for health workers across the state.
Shehu said that the government, as a matter of urgency should employ trained healthcare workers, to serve the needs of the overgrown population of the state.
“These cadres are highly needed in the primary and secondary healthcare facilities in the state, as many personnel have retired and have not been replaced.
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“For about a decade, the private health training institutions in the state had graduated qualified health professionals, and duly certified by the regulatory bodies, therefore, the government should recruit them to bridge the gaps,” the chairman said.
According to him, the association is aware of government’s efforts toward bringing sanity and professionalism in the training of health professionals across the state.
“I am happy to inform the public that even government colleges/schools were not spared in this direction, they were scrutinised, verified and sanitised to ensure academic excellence.
“We wish to advise that all colleges and schools operating or wishing to operate, must conform to the Ministry of Health clearance and must obtain the approval of the regulatory bodies.
“The private health training institutions had contributed immensely to the training of qualified health professionals, looking at the number of secondary school’s graduates graduating every year in the state,” he said.
Shehu said that it was on record that the universities, polytechnic and colleges of education in the state could not absorb half of the graduating students of the secondary schools.
He also said that the two health tertiary training institutions owned by the state government could not admit and train the required health care manpower needed for the state.
According to him, the private health training institutions complement the training of the healthcare needs of the state.
“Government alone cannot provide the healthcare needs of the teeming population of the state, hence, the need for Private Partnership Participation in healthcare delivery.
“It is on this basis that the association is appealing to the state government to look into the possibility of supporting and providing resources, infrastructure and funding in the form of soft loans.
“It will help these private health training institutions maintain high standards of healthcare training similar to those offered in agriculture, small and medium enterprises and other businesses,” the chairman said.
He said that all private health training institutions operating in the state were recently inspected and eight were mandated to continue their academic activities, while seven were instructed to provide facilities that would enable them to reopen.
“We understand the task is tedious, but we urge the committee to hasten the reopening of the remaining ones, so as not to affect their academic calendar and the students adversely,” Shehu said.
He expressed appreciation for the expansion of the drug procurement unit of the state and advised the government to utilise the services of the little population of pharmacists and highly populated pharmacy technicians by compounding drugs, such as syrup, creams and suspension.
According to him, the compounding unit will prepare and market their products in the state and beyond, and it will be a self-sustaining unit of the government.
“As major stakeholders in training of qualified health workers in the state, the association finds it necessary to call on the government to include us in any issue that affects our institutions, as this will bring harmonious relationships and understanding as is happening in other states.
“The association wishes to call on the government to also allocate lands for private health training institutions to build standard colleges/schools, suitable for effective teaching and learning environment.
“This gesture will boost the operation and contributions of private health training institutions in the state,” he said.
(NAN)
