By: Mardiyyah Abubakar
The Bayelsa State Government will deploy 19 doctors, 210 nurses and midwives, 185 pharmacy technicians and about 50 laboratory medical technicians to primary healthcare centres across the state.
The State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, disclose this on Friday while speaking on efforts to improve healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
Brisibe says the deployment would strengthen clinical services at primary healthcare centres, which are often largely managed by community health extension workers and environmental health officers.
He say residents, particularly those in rural communities, needed easier access to qualified medical personnel at the facilities where they first seek treatment.
The commissioner said regular visits by doctors would also encourage residents to use the centres and ensure patients receive appropriate treatment or referrals when necessary.
He added that the deployment of doctors, nurses and midwives would encourage more women to seek professional care during childbirth.
Brisibe said the doctors would be deployed across the state’s 18 local government areas and 24 constituencies, with areas facing difficult terrain receiving more personnel.
Southern Ijaw, Brass and Ekeremor will each receive three doctors, while other areas will receive two each, he said.
The commissioner added that the government would also deploy 210 nurses and midwives, 185 pharmacy technicians and about 50 laboratory medical technicians.
He said the recruitment and deployment process had reached its final stage, with personnel already captured, adding that the workers would begin their assignments within the month.
Brisibe said the government expected the deployment to improve healthcare outcomes by bringing qualified medical personnel closer to residents.
The commissioner spoke during a First Respondent Training and Medical Intervention Programme organised by the Health Emergency Initiative and sponsored by FIRST E&P.
The Executive Director, Corporate Services, FIRST E&P, Emmanuel Etomi, said the programme was designed to equip young people with basic emergency-response skills.
He said timely action during medical emergencies could determine whether a victim survived, urging participants to share the knowledge gained with their families, schools and communities.
The Executive Director and founder of HEI, Paschal Achunine, said the initiative aimed to encourage people to respond to emergencies instead of merely recording them for social media.
He said participants were trained in basic first aid, CPR and other pre-hospital skills that could help save lives before professional medical assistance arrived.
Achunine said HEI had also partnered with the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council to integrate emergency health education into the school curriculum.
He said the programme would help equip primary and secondary school students with practical knowledge to respond appropriately to emergencies.
