By Kingsley Agim
Merit, transparency and professionalism have taken centre stage in Cross River State as screening begins for candidates seeking selection into the second cohort of the National Health Fellows Programme (NHFP), a key initiative aimed at strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) delivery at the grassroots.
The screening exercise, which is being conducted nationwide across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, officially opened on Monday at the Conference Room of the Cross River State Ministry of Health, Calabar. Officials overseeing the process were charged to uphold fairness and equity in line with the programme’s objectives.
Declaring the exercise open, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, said the NHFP is designed to identify young professionals with the right attitude, capacity and growth potential to support health service delivery, rather than focusing solely on existing technical expertise.
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According to him, the programme places premium on candidates who are teachable, adaptable and committed to learning, with the ability to support frontline health workers through coordination, data management and effective reporting.
“We are not recruiting experts at this stage. What matters is the potential of the candidates, their willingness to learn, their capacity to grow and their readiness to add value to Primary Health Care delivery,” Dr. Ayuk stated.
He explained that successful candidates would be deployed to Primary Health Care facilities to support priority interventions such as routine immunisation, family planning services, basic clinical care, health education and health promotion, describing these services as central to improving community-level health outcomes.
Dr. Ayuk also disclosed that the Federal Government had earlier indicated an employment window for fellows in the first cohort upon completion of their one-year fellowship, a development he said would enhance health workforce sustainability if fully implemented.
“We were informed that there would be post-fellowship employment opportunities, and we are hopeful that clear policy direction will soon be provided on the framework for engagement,” he said.
The Commissioner further commended the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other development partners for their continued support to health system strengthening and capacity building in Cross River State.
In her remarks, the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Desk Officer at the State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Edith Silas, praised the performance of the first batch of Health Fellows and described the ongoing screening process as transparent and credible.
“This process reflects a strong commitment to merit and accountability. Health system strengthening must be driven by competence and fairness, and that is exactly what is being demonstrated here,” she said.
Mrs. Silas added that each of the 18 local government areas in the state nominated candidates for the programme, with one fellow to be selected per local government following the screening exercise.
The National Health Fellows Programme is a presidential initiative aimed at developing a new generation of health sector leaders by equipping young professionals with hands-on leadership, management and service delivery experience within Primary Health Care facilities across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
