Zamfara graduates first cohort of National Health Fellows

As part of its commitment to strengthening primary healthcare delivery, the Zamfara State Government has graduated the first cohort of the National Health Fellows (NHF) in the state.

The state has also onboarded a new set of fellows to further support health sector reforms.

Speaking on Tuesday during the graduation and certificate presentation ceremony for the NHF in Gusau, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Nafisa Muhammad Maradun, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Rilwanu Musa Zurmi, described the event as a significant milestone in the state’s efforts to bridge the human resource gap and improve healthcare service delivery.

“The training has equipped the fellows with the knowledge and skills required to serve as catalysts for positive change within their communities,” she said.

The Zamfara State Sector-Wide Approach (SWAP) Desk Officer, Dr Abdullahi Wanzamai, explained that the National Health Fellows Programme is a flagship initiative of the Federal Government under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative’s Sector-Wide Approach (SWAP), coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

“The programme was designed to recruit, train and deploy young health professionals to all 774 local government areas of the country to strengthen primary healthcare, improve policy implementation, enhance data management and build a new generation of health sector leaders,” he explained.

In their separate goodwill messages, the Executive Secretary of the Zamfara State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Hussaini Yakubu Anka; the Executive Secretary of the Zamfara State Health Services Management Board, Dr Marafa; and the World Health Organization (WHO) State Coordinator, Dr Raji Toyosi, said the National Health Fellows had significantly improved data reporting, accountability and service delivery in primary healthcare.

They described the contributions of the NHF as remarkable and urged the new fellows to embrace mentorship and maintain cordial relationships with healthcare workers, traditional rulers and religious leaders.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, Hon. Samaila Moriki, pledged that local government authorities would integrate the National Health Fellows into planning processes and provide them with access to health facilities to enable them discharge their responsibilities towards achieving universal health coverage in the state.