Today, 15th December, 2023 marks Day Two and the final day of the ongoing Computer-Based Tests (CBT) examinations organized for applicants who turned in applications for the Anambra State Government Health Workers’ Recruitment Exercise 2023.
The exercise, driven by the Anambra State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, with support from the State ICT Agency, kickstarted on Thursday, 14th December, 2023, at the IDK centre, Awka.
Over 6,970 applications were received on the application portal, out of which only 500 personnel will be selected following the completion of the CBT exams.
A breakdown of the applications received by the various positions applied for is as follows- Senior Medical Officer: 217, Pharmacists: 136, Midwife: 250, Nurse: 496, Nurse/Midwife: 548, SCHEW: 1,034, JCHEW: 615, Community Health Worker: 702, Health Attendant: 1,039, and Health Assistant: 1,933.
Speaking at the venue for the CBT examination, Dr Afam Obidike, the Anambra State Commissioner for Health, explained that the exercise is evident to the commitment of Prof Chukwuma Obidike, the State Governor, to fill the manpower gaps identified in the state health sector.
According to him, “this is the second phase of the recruitment we are doing. We did recruitment up to 500 last year and now we are recruiting another 500 for the Primary Healthcare System.
“All over the world, human resource for health is a major challenge.
“When we did the first recruitment after the gap analysis, we found that there was the need to do more to ensure that the promise of quality health coverage promised by Mr Governor is realised.
“We are not only going to be recruiting, we will also be training and retraining to ensure that our personnel are equipped with the right knowledge and expertise, to render quality health service to Anambra people.”
The Commissioner, who went round the centre to monitor the process, observed that the exercise has been going on without any hitches, commending the partnership of the state ICT Agency in driving the CBT exams.
“This is the partnership that works that we require in the government system and we are delighted to be partners with the State ICT Agency for what they are doing in ensuring the deployment of technology in this recruitment process,” Obidike said.
For his part, Mr Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata (CFA) the MD/CEO, Anambra State ICT Agency, said his agency’s role in the CBT examination signposts the vision of Mr Governor, for ‘Everything Technology and Technology Everywhere.’
In his words; “by making sure that there is a touch of technology in every process in the state governance, we are consciously building a tribe that is ICT-compliant and up-to-speed with the global trends across various spheres.”
CFA expressed appreciation to Governor Soludo for his forward-thinking stance that integrated technology in every activity of his administration, emphasizing that government processes have been simplified, removing bottlenecks inhibiting maximum output and eliminating corruption and other sharp practices mitigating transparency and optimum productivity.