In a major boost to healthcare delivery, the Abia State Government has employed 649 medical personnel under its 2025 health workers recruitment exercise, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the state’s health system and improving access to quality care.
The newly recruited personnel cut across critical cadres in the health sector, including medical doctors, nurses and midwives, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, community health extension workers (CHEWs), and other allied health professionals. They are expected to be deployed to primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities across the state, with priority given to underserved and rural communities.
Speaking during the presentation of appointment letters to the successful candidates in Umuahia, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, said the recruitment exercise was part of Governor Alex Otti’s broader health sector reforms aimed at addressing manpower gaps and improving service delivery.
According to him, inadequate human resources have long been a major challenge in public health facilities, leading to increased workload for existing staff and reduced quality of care. He noted that the engagement of the 649 health workers would significantly ease these pressures and enhance patient outcomes.
“This recruitment is a deliberate and strategic intervention by the Abia State Government to reposition our health sector. We are determined to ensure that every Abia resident, regardless of location, has access to skilled and motivated health professionals,” the commissioner said.
Uche added that the exercise was conducted transparently and strictly on merit, assuring that the government would continue to invest in training, retraining and welfare of health workers to sustain improved service delivery.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Chimezie Okwuonu, disclosed that the state government is simultaneously upgrading health infrastructure and medical equipment to complement the expanded workforce. He stressed that manpower development and facility improvement must go hand in hand to achieve a resilient health system.
Some of the newly employed health workers expressed gratitude to the state government for the opportunity, pledging to contribute their expertise to improving healthcare services, especially at the grassroots.
Health sector stakeholders have welcomed the development, describing it as a timely intervention amid the growing demand for healthcare services and the persistent challenge of health worker migration in Nigeria.
The Abia State Government has indicated that the 2025 recruitment exercise is part of a continuous process, with plans to engage more health professionals as resources permit, in line with its vision of building a functional, people-centred health system.
