Governor Umo Eno has approved the payment of the medical residency training fund of N1 million each to resident doctors in the Akwa Ibom State Civil Service.
The Medical Residency Training Fund is a programme designed to provide financial support to cover various expenses associated with medical residency training including costs for the multi-stages of examinations, updated course fees, research projects, personal equipment and accoutrements.
This approval by the governor for the payment of the medical residency fund to the medical doctors is expected to facilitate the postgraduate training of doctors with specialist skills and qualifications while supporting their careers, Ekerette Udoh, chief press secretary to the governor, said.
According to Udoh, it will also help to produce specialists who will bridge the existing manpower gap, especially at the Consultant cadre, across the secondary healthcare facilities and mitigate brain drain in the state.
In a statement made available to BusinessDay in Uyo, the state capital, it stated that it was in line with the Arise Agenda’s emphasis on having a healthy and productive workforce to drive the many developmental initiatives of the state government.
It stated that it emphasizes the training of qualified specialists in the different fields of medicine which it said remains a top priority of the Government.
“Also, as the state gets ready to start the Akwa Ibom State University Teaching Hospital, these specialists will provide the needed manpower to the teaching hospital.
“Quality healthcare service delivery especially at the primary level, is a key component of the Arise Agenda. The Governor has followed through on this, with the construction of, and commissioning of model primary health care centres in some Local Government Areas including others that will soon be commissioned.
“The inauguration of the Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Agency Board with a clear mandate to start the journey towards ending out-of-pocket expenses for health care is another bold move by the Governor in the fulfilment of his campaign promise.
“Governor Eno has also directed the recruitment of healthcare professionals to help drive his vision in healthcare delivery service.
“Several free medical outreach programmes have also been conducted across the three senatorial districts in the state, where people with various medical issues or underlying medical conditions were attended to, and surgeries and other medical procedures performed free.
“The Governor appreciates the robust collaboration that has existed between government and the leadership of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP).”
