Healthcare staff shortage: 2,500 new hires announced, contract workers to be regularized soon

The government aims to address the staffing shortage in the health sector. In a plenary session this Tuesday, the Minister of Public Service, Labor, and Public Service Reform, Mamadou Lamine Dianté, announced the recruitment of 2,500 new employees this year, while also paving the way for the regularization of some of the many contract workers who have been employed in the health system for several years. According to the Minister, the human resources deficit is particularly significant. "We have observed that there is a shortage of approximately 18,000 staff in the health sector, more than 18,000," he emphasized to the members of parliament.

Faced with this situation, the government has decided to recruit 2,500 agents. This measure comes after several years marked, according to the minister, by weak recruitment in the public health sector, resulting in a proliferation of contract-based employment.

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Contract workers with several years of seniority

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One of the main announcements, however, concerns staff already in place. Mamadou Lamine Dianté acknowledged the situation of many contract workers who have been working for several years in healthcare facilities, sometimes in remote areas. The minister specifically mentioned the case of a head nurse who has been on a contract for ten years.

"We must fight against injustice because there are many workers in the health sector who, for years, work in sometimes very remote locations and are under contract," he explained.

The direction given by the President of the Republic, according to the minister, is therefore not to limit the operation to the recruitment of new staff. A portion of the positions will also be used to regularize the status of contract workers already in employment.

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Recruitment "based on objective criteria"

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Mamadou Lamine Dianté assured that these operations will be conducted according to objective criteria. "This will be done based on objective criteria, without bias," he affirmed. The government intends to carry out two parallel operations: strengthening staff through new recruitment and providing support to contract workers who have accumulated several years of experience in the healthcare system.

This announcement comes at a time when staff shortages are one of the main challenges facing the healthcare system, particularly in remote areas where professionals often work in difficult conditions. For the minister, regularizing the status of some contract workers is also a matter of social justice towards employees who have ensured the continuity of public service for many years.