Given the short fall in the number of workers in the country’s health sector, the Federal Government has disclosed that it is set to recruit 200,000 Nigerians under its Community Health Influencers, Promoters and Services (CHIPS) Programme nationwide.

 

CHIPS, was developed by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA. It aims to link health work force to Nigeria’s rural and underserved communities with the hope of bridging gaps in access to basic and quality health care.

 

While on a one day state visit to Nasarawa state yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari directed officials of the health ministry to synergize with other states to roll out the programme to enable the less-privileged and the rural dwellers have access to health services.

 

While commending the president and reacting to the directive, the NPHCDA executive director, Faisal Shuaib, said the CHIPS personnel will play roles of effective demand generation and health behaviour change communication, provide basic emergency services to households, support community surveillance, collect and transmit household level health-related information on a regular basis.

 

He noted that the 200,000 agents working under the programme across the country will be the largest aggregation of community health workers in Africa.

Image courtesy: nigeriahealthwatch