Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has announced a major increase in rural allowances for medical doctors and nurses to address the persistent shortage of healthcare workers in rural communities.
The shortage of qualified medical personnel has continued to affect healthcare delivery in general hospitals across several local government areas of Borno State.
Zulum made the announcement on Tuesday while briefing journalists after inspecting key government projects in Gubio and Magumeri local government areas.
He said the state government has approved a 100 percent rural allowance for medical doctors and a 40 percent allowance for nurses and midwives serving under the State Hospital Management Board.
Zulum said inadequate human resources for health remains one of the biggest challenges facing his administration.
“Human resources for health is one of our nightmares in this administration,” Zulum said.
He said investigations showed that many doctors prefer working with international non-governmental organizations because of better remuneration.
“INGOs pay better than state government salaries, so we must ensure that our wages are fair,” he said.
The governor said the new allowance structure would take effect from January 1 and would apply to rural communities identified by the hospital management board.
He said medical doctors posted to rural areas would now receive allowances equal to 100 percent of their total salaries, while nurses and midwives would receive 40 percent.
Zulum said the policy is expected to attract more medical personnel to rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare in villages.
“I believe this will bridge the gap and ensure many will run to the hospitals in villages,” he said.
The governor urged medical personnel willing to serve in rural areas to report to the hospital management board for immediate deployment.
During the inspection tour, Zulum also visited Government Secondary School Gubio and directed the immediate provision of laboratory and library facilities.
The tour included visits to two general hospitals and ongoing housing projects in Gubio and Magumeri.
