Edith CHUKU
As manpower crisis hits health facilities, the Rivers State chapter of the Association of Community Health Practitioners, has expressed the need for urgent workforce boost in the state.
The health practitioners called on the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to recruit at least 1,000 health workers.
The chairman of the association, Dr Justin Onuwa, emphasized that the sector needs more workforce, pointing out that facilities were becoming empty due to retirement of community health workers.
He said, ‘‘we want to demand that we need more manpower because we are short of manpower in our facilities. If you go round our facilities, they are almost empty.
“The government should look into the issue of employing more community health practitioners and I suggest that the governor employs at least 1,000 community health workers.”
Also, Onuwa commended the governor for approving the increment in retirement age of community health workers to 65.
“In November 2025, we met with him on issues of extension of retirement age for our members and just last week, he has approved the retirement age of 65 for community health practitioners, so we are here to say thank you to him.”
