The Cross River State Government has graduated 18 Nigerian Health Fellows under Cohort 1.0 and formally onboarded a new cohort to strengthen grassroots monitoring of healthcare interventions and support the effective implementation of health reforms across the state.
The graduation and onboarding ceremony, organised by the Cross River State Ministry of Health under the theme, “Building Competent Professionals for a Stronger Universal Health System,” brought together health sector leaders, mentors, supervisors and graduating professionals.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the Calabar College of Nursing Sciences Conference Hall, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, PhD, said the initiative was strategically designed by the administration of Governor Bassey Edet Otu to identify and bridge existing gaps in the health system, particularly at the primary healthcare level.
Ayuk explained that the programme provides an independent mechanism for monitoring health interventions at the grassroots, enabling government to track implementation, assess outcomes and identify areas requiring corrective action.
“This is an agenda, this is an approach that has been designed by the current government, to reach out and identify and close an existing gap that is currently ongoing, and that is being able to monitor independently what is being implemented at the lowest level of primary healthcare,” he said.
The Commissioner subsequently presented certificates to the graduating fellows of Cohort 1.0, formally marking the successful completion of their training and mentorship and their transition into the next phase of professional service.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser on Health, Dr. Ekpo Ekpo Bassey, said the ceremony marked the graduation of fellows who had completed their training and mentorship, as well as the formal onboarding of Cohort 2 for field deployment across the state.
“We are here to graduate those Nigerian Health Fellows that have gone through training and mentorship, and we are onboarding Cohort 2 to go into the field,” Bassey said, stressing the importance of deploying fellows to the various Local Government Areas to support the effective implementation of national health reforms.
The Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Chris Ushie Asugung, said the ceremony was organised to formally send forth Cohort 1.0 and onboard Cohort 2.0, while commending the fellows for their contributions to health-sector monitoring and the quality of information generated through their field activities.
The Desk Officer, Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) at the State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Edith Silas, explained that the National Health Fellows Programme was designed to develop young health professionals as future leaders and change agents through practical experience, mentorship and participation in health programmes, data collection, monitoring and evaluation, community engagement and advocacy. She said the programme also aims to strengthen leadership, data and reporting systems while promoting innovation, teamwork and problem-solving within the health sector.
Silas noted that the fellows had gained valuable professional experience and strengthened their leadership and communication skills through the programme, adding that graduation marked not just the completion of training but the beginning of greater responsibility. She urged the graduates to apply their knowledge and skills in their workplaces and communities, while charging the new cohort to approach their field assignments with commitment, professionalism and a strong sense of responsibility as they contribute to improved health outcomes across the state.
The programme also featured presentations on field experiences, supervision and report submission by the fellows, led by Miss Timaben Obo, providing an opportunity to highlight lessons learned and outcomes recorded during their community engagements.
Four mentors and supervisors who provided guidance throughout the fellowship were also recognised for their dedication to the programme. They included Mrs. Fatoru Ogin, Miss Timaben Obo, Mr. Martin Muji Odum and Miss Odenke.
The ceremony ended with participants applauding the mentors and celebrating the successful completion of the fellowship, as the graduates prepared to apply their knowledge and skills in their workplaces and communities, while the new cohort commenced the next phase of field-based healthcare monitoring.
By Kingsley Agim
