Delta Govt. sets 2026 health priorities, targets better infrastructure, expanded workforce
The Delta Government has unveiled its key health sector priorities for the 2026 fiscal year, focusing on infrastructure upgrades, modernised medical equipment, and an expanded health workforce.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, disclosed this on Tuesday during the ministry’s 2026 budget defence before the House of Assembly Committee on Health in Asaba.
Onojaeme said the proposed budget was built around three core pillars—improved infrastructure, enhanced equipment, and strengthened manpower aimed at boosting healthcare delivery across the state.
The commissioner explained that several projects initiated in 2025 would be completed next year, with new ones also scheduled to begin.
“One of the major initiatives includes the planned renovation of a general hospital in each of the 25 local government areas.
”This is a significant step toward improving access to care,” he said.
He added that contrary to claims that government efforts were focused on urban centres, more than 150 primary healthcare centres—many in rural communities—had been renovated recently.
Newly recruited health workers, he noted, have already been deployed to these upgraded facilities.
Onojaeme acknowledged that shortages of doctors and nurses are a nationwide challenge, but said the 2026 budget made provisions to retain existing workers and attract new ones.
He revealed that the government had begun redistributing medical personnel from urban areas with excess staff to underserved central and rural locations.
To boost retention, he said Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori approved a revised remuneration package for doctors, with total monthly earnings now ranging from N500,000 to N1.5 million.
The commissioner also announced the introduction of special rural and riverine allowances for workers deployed to hard-to-reach communities—an incentive designed to encourage service in underserved areas.
He also said that local government council chairmen have been authorised to recruit more nurses, community health extension workers, and other primary-care staff to support the expanding health infrastructure.
In his remarks, Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Chief Ferguson Onwo, described the ongoing budget defence sessions with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) under his committee as “productive, cordial and encouraging.”
He said the process is a constitutional requirement to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending.
Onwo noted that the legislature is empowered by the Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and IPSAS standards to scrutinise budget proposals.
He emphasised that the health sector remained a top priority for the state government and assured that lawmakers would continue to support policies that broaden access to quality care.
Responding to concerns raised about the condition of the Eku and Asaba hospitals, Onwo said the committee had recently conducted an inspection and confirmed that shortages of doctors and nurses persist.
He noted that this challenge is not peculiar to Delta State but reflects a global trend.
“The governor has directed that any qualified medical doctor available should be recruited immediately.
”If you know any doctor or nurse seeking placement, bring them,” he said.
On the possibility of introducing robotics or artificial intelligence into the state’s health system—similar to developments in advanced countries, Onwo said Delta would adopt such innovations gradually.
“We are not there yet. Most of our processes still rely on human effort, but where it becomes necessary and feasible to adopt AI, the government will certainly explore it,” he stated.
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