Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has given approval for employment of additional 31 medical doctors, 22 pharmacists and 153 nurses into the state health sector.
He said this is in a bid to address the manpower deficit in the sector.
State Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, confirmed this in Calabar on Wednesday.
Ayuk said the development was a practical demonstration of the state government’s commitment to boost the health and well-being of Cross Riverians.
He acknowledged that the unprecedented influx of those seeking health services from state-owned public health facilities was as a result of the people’s confidence in the renewed vigour in healthcare service delivery by the present administration.
According to the commissioner, the injection of new blood into the health sector will help to bridge the human capacity gap in the Health Ministry and equip it with the necessary manpower to carry out clinical activities in public health facilities across the state.
Before now the number of doctors depleted to 20, while the state had 938 nurses.