Oyo State Government has disclosed its rdiness to bring in Community nurses and midwives into the system to bridge the Human resource gap, provide drugs and facilities, and improve the knowledge of Primary Health Care workers.
Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr OLUWASERIMI AJETUNMOBI, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of health, Dr. AYINDE AKINTUNDE, said this today at the opening ceremony of a 5-day State Training of Trainers (STOT) on capacity building of frontlines of health workers, with 160 participants at Kakanfo Inn, at Ibadan, Oyo state.
AKINTUNDE emphasized that Primary health care centres, as a first point of call, need skilled workers, improved health care services and collaboration of the primary and secondary health facilities to reduce mortality rate in terms of referrals.
Ahead of the commencement of recruitment of workers in the primary healthcare centre, AKINTUNDE also added that the government will be meeting with the National Association Of Nigeria Nurses And Midwives on Tuesday, in continuation of negotiations to end the ongoing strike action embarked upon by the association in Oyo state.
Executive Secretary, Oyo state Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. MUIDEEN OLATUNJI pointed that the issue of inadequate manpower necessitated the nationwide training for clinical skills improvement and participants are expected to teach the incoming personnel.
He also disclosed that the sufficient number of personnel required in the state is about 14 thousand, but the state is currently working with less than five thousand personnel, hence the essence of the training.
He also said that Oyo state representatives trained at the National level will train those in facilities at the state level who will in turn train those at the local government level.
On her part, State Co-Ordinator, Oyo State National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) Mrs. ADIJAT OGUNDARE, said the goal of the present administration is to empower 120 thousand frontline health workers in rural communities with focus on medical Doctors, Nurses, Community Health officers, and Community Health extension workers.
The participants of the ongoing training are expected to pick 4 healthcare workers in each Local government Primary Health care centres for extended training.
To measure the effectiveness of their support for the training,
one of the partners, State Co-Ordinator U.S. President Malaria Initiative (PMIS) AYANDIPO OLUWAYEMISI, hope that at the end of the training there will be improved service delivery in the state and presence of healthcare providers in all cases.
The 5-day training is expected to build a pool of competent instructors for training of the frontline health workers on integrated PHC service delivery, exposure to current medical practices, sharpen ethical thinking, among others.
