The Sokoto State government has introduced a mandatory two-year rural service for all medical and auxiliary healthcare workers trained under its sponsorship scheme.

The Commissioner for Health, Faruku Wurno, said this in an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Sokoto.

He said the initiative aimed to correct long-standing staffing imbalances and ensure equitable healthcare delivery across the state, particularly in underserved rural areas.

According to Mr Wurno, the new policy requires all doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health workers sponsored by the state to serve in rural health facilities for at least two years.

“The decision follows a comprehensive needs assessment that revealed an overconcentration of health workers in urban centres, while many rural communities remain without adequate medical personnel.

“We are not just posting them to rural areas, we are also motivating them with better pay, improved facilities, and enhanced security support,” Mr Wurno stated.

He added that the policy had already inspired interest from the education sector, which was considering a similar model to address teacher shortages in remote areas.

To boost morale and compliance, he said the state government had approved a 10 per cent salary increment for workers deployed to rural communities.

Mr Wurno expressed optimism that many workers would choose to remain in those communities beyond the mandatory period due to the improved working environment and incentives.

“This rural deployment strategy is part of a broader effort by the administration of Gov. Ahmad Aliyu to revamp Sokoto’s healthcare system,” he said.

The commissioner also noted that Sokoto now pays its medical and health workers salaries that match the federal government scale, a development welcomed by organised labour and medical professionals.

He further revealed that the state was already seeing a reversal in the brain drain that previously affected its health sector, as many professionals who had tendered resignation letters had now withdrawn them due to improved welfare packages.

Mr Wurno said professional bodies, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), had commended the administration’s commitment to staff welfare and expressed renewed confidence in its leadership.

“These reforms are laying the foundation for a stronger, more responsive healthcare system in Sokoto State,” he affirmed.

(NAN)