The Rivers State Ministry of Health has commenced interviews for shortlisted candidates for the National Health Fellows Programme, as directed by the Federal Government.
The programme was initiated following an agreement between President Bola Tinubu and the governors of the 36 states, along with the Federal Capital Territory, to declare a state of emergency in the health sector in 2023.
Under this initiative, three candidates from each of the 774 local government areas were shortlisted by the Federal Government for interview.
The successful candidates are expected to work with local, state, and federal governments to strengthen healthcare systems and improve health outcomes at the population level.
Speaking after the first phase of the interviews on Monday, the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, represented by the Acting Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Ministry of Health, Dr Julianne Nwoke, described the National Health Fellows Programme as one of President Tinubu’s strategic interventions to deploy young, passionate, and skilled professionals to enhance the health sector.
Dr Oreh explained that, under the directives of the Minister of Health, Professor Ali Pate, all Commissioners of Health across the 36 states and the FCT were instructed to set up a seven-member committee to oversee the selection process.
These committees, according to the Commissioner, are to be “coordinated by the State Coordinators of the World Health Organization as part of the organisation’s support for the programme.”
The Federal Government shortlisted three candidates per LGA across the country, drawing from three specific fields: Public Health, Data Management, and Information and Communication Technology.
After the interview process, only one candidate from each LGA will be selected.
The selection process in Rivers State is expected to conclude by Wednesday.
The seven-member committee overseeing the selection process includes representatives from the Rivers State Ministry of Health, WHO, academia, civil society organisations, and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON.
