The Association of Colleges and Schools of Health Science and Technology has called on Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State to urgently address the shortage of healthcare workers in the state.
Speaking to journalists in Katsina on Monday, the association’s chairman, Alhaji Tukur Shehu, emphasized the critical need for more health personnel to cater to the state’s growing population.
Shehu stressed the urgency of recruiting trained healthcare workers to fill the gaps created by retiring personnel. He highlighted the pressing demand for skilled professionals in primary and secondary healthcare facilities across the state.
“For over a decade, private health training institutions in Katsina have been producing qualified and certified health professionals. It is essential for the government to recruit them to bridge this gap,” Shehu stated.
Shehu commended the government’s steps toward improving professionalism and quality in health training institutions. “I am happy to inform the public that even government colleges/schools were not spared in this direction, they were scrutinised, verified and sanitised to ensure academic excellence.
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“We wish to advise that all colleges and schools operating or wishing to operate, must conform to the Ministry of Health clearance and must obtain the approval of the regulatory bodies.
“The private health training institutions had contributed immensely to the training of qualified health professionals, looking at the number of secondary school’s graduates graduating every year in the state,” he said.
Shehu highlighted the vital contribution of private health training institutions in addressing the state’s healthcare needs. He observed that existing universities and state-owned health training institutions lack the capacity to accommodate the increasing number of secondary school graduates.
“Private health training institutions complement government efforts by providing additional healthcare professionals,” he said, calling for more support through resources, infrastructure, and funding such as soft loans.
The association appealed to the government to support private institutions by providing land for building standard facilities conducive to effective teaching and learning. Shehu argued that this would enhance the institutions’ capacity to deliver high-quality healthcare training.
He also recommended that the government expand its drug compounding unit, leveraging the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to produce essential medications locally.
Shehu revealed that recent inspections led to eight private health institutions receiving approval to continue operations, while seven were instructed to upgrade their facilities. He urged the committee overseeing the process to expedite decisions to prevent disruptions to the academic calendar.
Finally, the chairman called on the government to involve the association in discussions affecting health training institutions to foster collaboration and understanding. He emphasized that private partnerships are crucial to meeting the state’s healthcare demands effectively.
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