President Bola Tinubu has granted automatic employment to 774 fellows of the national health programme.
The President stated this while speaking at the presidential launch of the programme in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Addressing the young fellows tasked with monitoring Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across all 774 local government areas, Tinubu declared, “You are hired,” pledging employment after their one-year tenure.
“The Coordinating Minister and the champion of this program have requested approval and luckily the Minister of Finance is here also.
“This programme is designed to expose you to best practices and keep you of the knowledge and skill to transform the sector. Healthcare is a critical pillar of national development, no country can prosper if its people are unhealthy and unsustainable health programmes are a precise danger. Sustainable development is only possible with a strong healthcare system and you are the pillars.”
Friday’s announcement came after the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate urged federal, state, and local governments to integrate the fellows into the workforce to support universal health coverage.
The national health fellows scheme is designed to drive meaningful change with innovation in the health sector, with the fellows selected on merit-based criteria from over 359,000 applicants.
The programme is a key initiative under his renewed hope agenda to revitalize Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.