By Nworisa Michael
Babagana Umara Zulum, Governor of Borno State, has approved the immediate recruitment of 473 healthcare workers to strengthen medical services across the state.
The announcement was made in Maiduguri by the Chief Medical Director of the Borno State Hospital Management Board, Abubakar Kullima, who said the decision is aimed at improving residents’ access to quality healthcare.
According to Kullima, the recruitment will include a broad range of medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), alongside other essential health personnel required to support the state’s healthcare system.
He explained that the newly recruited staff will be deployed to general hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the three senatorial zones of Borno State, helping to address manpower shortages in the sector.
Kullima noted that the recruitment forms part of wider reforms being implemented by the Zulum administration to strengthen healthcare delivery. In recent months, the state government has approved training funds for resident doctors and commissioned new medical facilities, including eye and dental hospitals, to expand access to specialised services.
In addition, Governor Zulum has directed the immediate implementation of new rural posting allowances to encourage medical professionals to serve in remote communities.
Under the new policy, doctors posted to rural areas will receive a 100 percent rural allowance, while nurses serving in hard-to-reach locations will receive a 40 percent allowance.
A memo issued to the Hospital Management Board indicated that the incentive is designed to attract and retain qualified medical personnel in underserved rural communities, where healthcare manpower shortages remain a major challenge.
The allowance is also expected to significantly boost the earnings of doctors who accept rural postings, acknowledging the difficult working conditions and the urgent need for skilled healthcare workers outside urban centres.
