FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CREATES PARAMEDICS ASSISTANT AND TECHNICIAN CADRES, BOOSTING CAREER PROSPECTS FOR HEALTH WORKERS. There is good news for health sector workers across Nigeria, following a landmark decision by the National Council on Establishments (NCE) to formally create two new cadres for paramedical personnel in the nation's public service. The resolution was reached at the 48th Meeting of the Council, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, July 20-24, 2026, chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, and attended by Heads of Service from 30 states and the FCT.
The Council approved the creation and inclusion of two new cadres in the Schemes of Service: the Paramedics Assistant Cadre (Salary Grade Levels 04 to 07) and the Paramedics Technician Cadre (SGL 06 to 14), and adopted a Harmonised Entry Point Framework for public service cadres. It formally recognises paramedical work as a distinct career track—structured recruitment, defined progression and improved remuneration for a workforce that has long operated without a clear professional pathway.
Five other requests for new cadres were stepped down pending an ongoing Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis in the OHCSF, underlining that this approval was neither automatic nor lightly given. The decision aligns with the health-workforce reform agenda of Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the maiden health policy will be overseen by Dr Emuren Doubra, who leads the NEMSAS Programme.
It comes after years of advocacy by paramedical practitioners for formal recognition within Nigeria's civil service structure. (Source: plateaujournal.com.ng)
