Health Officers In Anambra Decry Shortage of Manpower

               

Odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com reports that Environmental Health Officers (EHOS) in Anambra State has urged the State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano to increase its personnel by employing more people that will join the environmental workers as sanitarians in the state.

The State President of EHOs, sanitarian Moses Abadom made the call in Awka while interacting with the press on the activities lined up for the Environmental Health Week in Anambra State which started Monday.

According to the president, “Anambra State has a population of 4.5 million people and not more than one hundred and fifty (150) are sanitarians in the state even as more than half of us are in the verge of retirement.

 “More than 210 qualified EHOs in the state are unemployed and that is why we are urging the state Governor,  Chief Obiano to recruit more younger people that will join us in the sanitation exercise so as to cover the 177 communities in Anambra State”.

Sanitarian Moses who disclosed that the group is poised to drag some abattoir management in the state to court for constituting nuisance in the environment, however identified their components and responsibilities to include inter allia; solid waste management, medical waste management, food sanitation, sanitary inspection of premises, market and abattoir sanitation, hygiene education and promotion among others.

“But we cannot achieve all these without surmounting some challenges facing us in this state”, he said, pointing out that lack of equipment, transportation needs, absence of waste disposal infrastructure and shortage of personnel are the major problems militating against their operation in the state.

For the environmental week, the president noted that the week will feature novelty match between the health officers and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) aas well as symposium, environmental health inspection and sensitization, visit to prisons and government house, thanksgiving service cum award presentation to the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano.

The State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) who incidentally is a Health Officer, Comrade Patrick Obianyo regretted that Anambra State politicizes environmental sanitation and management in the state, saying that “it is disheartening to see where government politicize environmental sanitation by appointing non-professionals to manage environmental sanitation in the state, adding that Anambra state uses waste management as political patronage.