The Health Policy Research Group from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka has appealed to the Enugu State Government to intensify motion to tackle health staff’ absenteeism in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Enugu State.
The Coordinator of the group, Obinna Onwujekwe, made the attraction on Thursday throughout a programme, Stakeholders’ Policy Dialogue on addressing health staff’ absenteeism and strengthening accountability in PHC amenities in Enugu.
Mr Onwujekwe, a professor, additionally urged the federal government to strengthen accountability in PHCs throughout the state.
He stated the dialogue supplied a chance for the representatives of the Enugu State Ministry of Health, Primary Healthcare Agency, National Health Insurance Authority, neighborhood leaders and media professionals to brainstorm on addressing health staff’ absenteeism at PHCs.
The coordinator stated the dialogue was organised to current analysis findings and have interaction policymakers and different stakeholders on sensible measures to cut back absenteeism amongst health staff.
He burdened that the analysis recognized transportation challenges, insufficient office assist and restricted neighborhood involvement as a few of the points contributing to absenteeism in PHC amenities.
Mr Onwujekwe defined that the group prioritised three interventions able to enhancing health staff’ attendance and repair supply.
He defined that the choice to prioritise the interventions adopted in depth consultations with related people and our bodies.
“One of the findings is that offering transportation assist to health staff, particularly these serving in distant communities, will encourage them to report to work recurrently.
“We additionally found that offering assist programs inside health amenities, the place colleagues assist each other, can enhance attendance.
“Community involvement is equally important because when communities participate in monitoring healthcare services, it helps to strengthen accountability,” he stated.
The coordinator stated the analysis demonstrated that combining the three interventions might considerably cut back absenteeism and enhance healthcare supply.
He defined that the coverage dialogue was supposed to translate analysis proof into sensible authorities insurance policies and programmes.
“We have carried out a examine and generated proof. What we’re doing at this time is bringing stakeholders collectively to focus on how this proof might be translated into insurance policies and follow.
“We are speaking about evidence-based policymaking, the place selections are guided by analysis findings reasonably than assumptions.
“Our expectation is that the government and other policymakers will take renewed action to ensure that these interventions are implemented across the state,” he stated.
The coordinator expressed optimism that implementing the suggestions would be sure that residents searching for medical consideration at PHC amenities would meet health staff on obligation.
He acknowledged that though Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State had invested closely in constructing of PHCs, the analysis and coverage dialogue would assist be sure that health staff have been always on obligation on the amenities.
“Our analysis is complementary to the efforts of the state authorities as a result of we would like to be sure that the health centres being constructed will not be left with out health staff.
“We expect the government to utilise this evidence to strengthen its interventions against absenteeism,” he stated.
Clock-in system
Mr Onwujekwe praised the state authorities’s introduction of a clock-in system to monitor health staff’ attendance at PHCs.
The coordinator argued that the introduction of the clock-in system was a recognition of the challenges posed by absenteeism.
He stated addressing the issue requires a number of methods past attendance monitoring.
“The evidence we have produced will further help the governor and the state primary health care development agency to reduce absenteeism in PHCs,” he stated.
Pamela Ogbozor, a analysis affiliate, introduced the analysis findings, explaining that the intervention ran from August 2025 to January 2026 in 4 PHC amenities in Nsukka, Igbo-Etiti, Enugu North and Nkanu West Local Government Areas.
Ms Ogbozor burdened that eight different amenities served as management areas, the place the researchers didn’t introduce the interventions.
She stated 100 per cent of health staff in intervention amenities recurrently accomplished attendance registers, in contrast with 90 per cent in management amenities.
The analysis affiliate stated the examine additionally recorded that 15.4 per cent of staff in intervention amenities left earlier than their shifts ended, in contrast with 48 per cent in management amenities.
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She listed sorts of absenteeism to embody staff failing to report for obligation, arriving late or leaving earlier than the end of their shifts.
The researcher warned that absenteeism might expose sufferers to problems, demise and workload with few on obligation.
A consultant of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in the dialogue, Stephen Obi, stated absenteeism and ghost staff have been critical challenges to healthcare supply.
“Absenteeism and ghost workers go together and to the commission, it is a serious challenge,” he stated.
Mr Obi stated the dialogue had supplied beneficial info which he could be taken again to the fee.
One of the members in the dialogue, Alex Ugwu, lauded the programme.
Mr Ugwu, who’s the chairman of the Ward Development Committee at Hilltop PHC Ngwo, informed reporters after the programme that the initiative had broadened their information about methods of tackling absenteeism at PHCs.
“This programme has helped us to know the places to improve on to address absenteeism in the health sector across Enugu State and beyond,” he stated.
He hailed the analysis group, explaining that the end result of earlier analysis had resulted in authorities insurance policies that improved healthcare service supply in his neighborhood’s PHC.
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