In his avowed commitment to prioritizing the welfare of workers in Akwa Ibom, Gover Umo Eno, has approved the payment of a Medical Residency Training Fund of one million Naira each to Resident Doctors in the State’s Civil Service.
This information was contained in a press release issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ekerete Udoh, on Wednesday.
According to the release, the Medical Residency Training Fund is a programme designed to provide financial support to cover various expenses associated with medical residency training, including costs for the multi-stages of examinations, update course fees, research projects, personal equipment, and accoutrements.
The release divulged that this approval by the Governor for the payment of the medical residency fund to the medical doctors will facilitate the postgraduate training of doctors with specialist skills and qualifications while supporting their careers. It aims to produce specialists who will bridge the existing manpower gap, especially at the Consultant cadre, across the secondary healthcare facilities and mitigate brain-drain in the state.
In line with the ARISE Agenda’s emphasis on having a healthy and productive workforce to drive the many developmental initiatives of the Governor Umo Eno-led administration, the production of qualified specialists in different fields of medicine remains a top priority of the Government.
The release further stated that as the state prepares to start the Akwa Ibom State University Teaching Hospital, these specialists will provide the needed brain trust to the teaching hospital.
Quality healthcare service delivery, especially at the primary level, is a key component of the Arise Agenda. The Governor has followed through on this with the construction and commissioning of model primary health care centres in some Local Government Areas, with others soon to be commissioned.
The inauguration of the Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Agency Board, with a clear mandate to start the journey towards ending out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare, is another bold move by the Governor in fulfilling his campaign promise.
Governor Eno has also directed the recruitment of healthcare professionals to help drive his vision in healthcare delivery service.
Several free medical outreach programmes have been conducted across the three senatorial districts in the state, where people with various medical issues or underlying medical conditions were attended to, and surgeries and other medical procedures performed free of charge.
The release noted the Governor’s appreciation of the robust collaboration that has existed between the government and the leadership of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP).
