The Ondo State government plans to recruit medical doctors and other health workers for all the state-owned hospitals and primary health centres.

The state Commissioner for Health, Banji Ajaka, made this known on Friday while declaring open the Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Ondo.

The conference had the theme: “Medicine and the Future Economy: The Ondo State Doctor’’.

“Government has given approval for more doctors to be employed, as well as other health workers,” said Mr Ajaka. “I can tell you that we are recruiting for primary healthcare, secondary healthcare and tertiary healthcare. It is very huge.”

Mr Ajaka said the state government was tackling the brain drain in the health sector even though the situation was not peculiar to Ondo.

The commissioner said the state was tackling it because of its capacity to produce medical doctors and other medical personnel.

“If there are 10 doctors that can man a hospital, we would put the optimal number in that hospital. We are working on the optimal. We are not just recruiting for recruitment’s sake,” he said.

In his welcome address, the NMA chairman in Ondo State, Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, commended members of the association for doggedness and commitment to rescuing the health sector despite challenges.

Mr Adeyemi-Osowe thanked the association members for their sacrifices and expertise in the advancement of medical science and improvement in healthcare delivery.