Cross River, FMOH, WHO, Partner To Update Health Workforce Registry
By Uket Oka, Calabar
Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), has launched a comprehensive initiative to update the Health Workforce Registry in Cross River State.
The Initiative, aimed at enhancing healthcare planning and workforce management, commenced with a multi-stakeholder training session recently held in Calabar, the State capital.
The four-day training which held February 18 through 21, brought together health officials from various sectors to equip them with the necessary skills to effectively update the existing registry.
Our reporter gathered that this effort also aims to bridge critical gaps in the availability of accurate data regarding the distribution of healthcare professionals across the state.
Speaking at the event, the Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, represented by the Ministry’s Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Mr Casmir Ugbong, emphasised the urgent need for an updated workforce registry.
Ayuk also acknowledged that the current data on health personnel distribution in the state is insufficient for making informed decisions regarding human resource management in the sector.
“We are not fully aware of the existing workforce gaps in the health centres across Cross River State,” he stated.
The Health Commissioner pointed out that, “without an accurate registry, it would be difficult for the government to determine the exact number of nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and other health professionals available in the state”.
According to him, “addressing this gap, is essential for improving healthcare efficiency and service delivery.
“We want to bridge this gap. Updating this health workforce registry will provide us with a scorecard—a fact sheet on the distribution and indices of the Human Resource for Health across the state.”
Ayuk urged all participants to fully commit to the process and ensure that every healthcare professional within their respective units and establishments is captured in the registry.
The Commissioner further noted that the success of the initiative depended on the dedication of health officials to accurately upload and maintain workforce data.
“It is your duty to ensure that everyone in your unit, in your establishment, is included in the health workforce registry,” he stated.
“We believe we have made the right choices, and nobody should derail this process. We need accurate, quality data on human resources to drive effective healthcare planning,” he said.
Declaring the workshop open, the Commissioner reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to the initiative and expressed optimism about its impact.
Also speaking, the Director General of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Vivien Mesembe Otu, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Barr. Lucy Enakirerhi, commended all participants for their dedication to updating the health workforce registry.
Otu emphasised that the success of the initiative would greatly enhance the state’s healthcare sector.
“I sincerely thank the World Health Organisation (WHO) for sponsoring this important workshop,” she said, stressing that, “I also appreciate the stakeholders from the State Ministry of Health and all health institutions that traveled from far and near to be part of this process.”
She further extended her gratitude to representatives from tertiary institutions and District Public Health Supervisors (DPSs) across the state, acknowledging their collective commitment to strengthening the health workforce database.
An official of the Federal Ministry of Health and Resource Person at the training, Ayoade John, informed that Cross River was among the few states with an existing workforce registry, adding that going a step further to update it tells a lot about the State’s commitment to improving its health workforce and sector at large.
The high-octane training programme featured critical themes and discourses about the advancement of health workforce registry.
With the successful implementation of this workforce registry update, Cross River State is poised to make significant strides in healthcare workforce management, ensuring the equitable distribution of health professionals to meet the needs of its population effectively.
The updated workforce registry is expected to provide policymakers with reliable data for strategic decision-making in workforce deployment, recruitment, and training. The initiative will also help identify underserved areas and facilitate better resource allocation.
Our reporter learned that the collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Health, WHO, and other stakeholders underscores a concerted effort to strengthen the healthcare system in Cross River State. Participants were charged with ensuring the success of the Registry update, which is poised to improve healthcare services across the state.
