The sixteen local government council chairmen in Taraba State under the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) have agreed to retain the 300 health workers earlier engaged for the Primary Health Cares (PHCs) by GAVI Foundation in the state.
GAVI Foundation had in 2022 through its health intervention at Primary Health Centres engaged the 300 health workers in the state in the areas of routine immunisation, birth attendants, health awareness and disease control across the 772 wards of the state.
GAVI also procured motorcycles for the health workers and paid them monthly stipends to them to reach out to the needy at the grassroots. The GAVI sponsorship according to Dr Tushar Rane, the health officer UNICEF Bauchi field office, was to last from 2022 to 2024.
The local government council chairmen made the decision to retain the health workers during a one day retreat with the state’s local government policy makers on PHCs in Yola, Adamawa State capital.
The vice chairman ALGON Taraba State chapter, Hon Ismaila Agbu, who is also the chairman Wukari local government council who spoke during the retreat alongside the other local government council chairmen said the 300 workers are to be retained as soon as ALGON consult with the governor of the state, Agbu Kefas.
“We understand that so many health workers in the state are going on retirement, we also understand that Gavi intervention in primary health care center is going to elapse soon, we can not therefore afford the vacuum that is going to face us in the near future.
“We shall take over the sponsorship of the 300 health workers and absorb them under our payroll,” Agbu stated.
