Enugu – The Enugu State Government has recruited 2,600 community-based health extension workers to strengthen disease surveillance and data collection at the grassroots level.

Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, announced the initiative after a joint review with UNICEF, stating that 4,500 applicants were screened over three to four days.

The program, a collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and NPHCDA, assigns 10 workers per ward across the state’s 260 wards.

Recruits include Junior Community Health Extension Workers and WAEC certificate holders, who will undergo training before deployment next month.

Ani-Osheku emphasized restoring the weakened link between communities and Primary Health Centres, enabling early detection of diseases like polio, hematuria-linked infections, and other outbreaks for rapid response.

“This cost-shared partnership will make these workers our eyes and ears on the ground to save lives,” she said.