Expert calls for amalgamation of community health professional groups

A community health practitioner in Kwara state, Dr. Oguntunji Isaac Opeyemi, has called for amalgamation in the community health profession, practice and training in the country.

Speaking with the Tribune online in Ilorin on Monday, Dr. Oguntunji lamented that there is no synergy between the Society of Community Health Technologists and the Scientists of Nigeria (SCHTSN)

SCHTSN and the Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria (CHPRBN) because of the court verdict that said that they are separate bodies that stand independently.

“A few years back, zeal to advance academically beyond acquiring Professional Diploma certificate(s)” awarded by the Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria (CHPRBN) gave birth to the National Diploma (ND) in Community Health, Higher National Diploma (HND) in Community Health and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Community Health in Nigeria.

Therefore, in a bid to unite holders of ND, HND, B.Sc. M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Community Health led to the formation of “Society of Community Health Technologists and Scientists of Nigeria (SCHTSN)” and equally having the “Association of Community Health Technologists and Scientists of Nigeria”, he said.

The community health expert, who suggested that there was a need for dialogues and resolutions with national executive members of the duo to amend and harness necessary factors that may culminate into amalgamation between the two groups, added that previous efforts made on the issue could still be revisited.

“If possible, the CHPRBN can come up with an abridged version of flexible six (6) months CHPRBN-based programme to prepare the interested members of SCHTSN who possessed ND, HND and B.Sc. certificates for professional “Board” (CHPRBN) examination based on the fact that the contents of both ND and HND in Community Health curricular are almost the same compare to those ones used by CHPRBN to train both CHEWs and CHOs. Both curricula are available for comparison.

“In doing this, I presume that CHPRBN has nothing to lose. This will only add colour to the existing brightness and add feathers to the wings of CHPRBN.

“This may further rescue the future of Community Health as a profession in Nigeria bearing in mind that academic qualifications are more recognized than professional qualifications, most especially, in entering both public and civil service in Nigeria.

“In this present-day Nigeria, acquisition of any professional qualification without academic qualification is like nothing. It must be emphasized that in both private hospitals and clinics, members of SCHTSN are working there believing that they are Community Health Practitioners.”

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