Nigeria’s desire for quality public primary healthcare services has received a further boost as Public Services International (PSI) has begun to build the capacity of community health workers to improve their skills and expertise.
The decision of PSI to focus on training community health workers is critical to improving Nigeria’s primary healthcare system which has been bedevilled by a lack of investment in infrastructure and welfare for workers.
The three-day capacity building workshop which also included a community outreach was held in Kano between 27th and 29th of November, with support from SASK is part of the PSI project on organising community health workers for a progressive vision of public health in West Africa.
Moradeke Abiodun-Badru, PSI Project Coordinator for English-Speaking West Africa, in her opening remarks at the workshop, emphasized the critical role of community health workers in the primary healthcare system, noting that they are critical to the foundation of public health care, particularly in many developing countries.
She noted that the healthcare project which is being implemented in Nigeria and Senegal sought to organise community health workers in the two West African countries and build their capacity to deliver quality primary health care services while also advocating for their rights to decent work.
She also explained that the project provides a platform for health workers and their communities to interact and identify challenges that affect the delivery of quality public primary healthcare services
According to Abiodun-Badru, the Kano workshop provided for effective community engagement, advocacy, and campaigns to improve healthcare delivery, especially at primary healthcare centres in the state.
She noted that by empowering community health workers and stakeholders, PSI was confident that they can drive meaningful change and strengthen primary healthcare systems in Nigeria.
Participants at the workshop which included members of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and Community Based Organisation (CBO) identified several challenges facing primary healthcare delivery while also proffering recommendations for improvement.
Some of the challenges identified include; workforce shortage which severely affects workers’ ability to provide quality healthcare services, poor welfare of community health workers, insecurity, shortage of medical supplies, low budgetary allocations, among others.
They recommended additional hospital space and infrastructure to meet the growing healthcare needs, improved security in all community health centres, recruitment of more health workers, and improved working conditions, increased budgetary allocations of at least 16 percent of an annual budget to healthcare.
The workshop participants also had a community outreach where they paid an advocacy visit to the district head of Tarauni Local Government and also had a community engagement with Community Extension workers, Community members and Tarauni Local Government PHC department officials.
During the outreach, a joint discussion was held between participants, PHC officials, and community members to identify challenges faced by Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) in delivering quality primary healthcare services, as well as gather feedback from community members on their experiences at the Tarauni Primary Healthcare Centre.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the training, the chairman of MHWUN in Kano, Comrade Babangida Musa said the community outreach has yielded positive outcomes, and fostered a better understanding of the challenges healthcare workers face at the community level.
“We’re thrilled with the progress made during the workshop and the outreach,” Musa noted.
He explained that the community and health workers now understand that they are partners in progress and have pledged to work together to mitigate the challenges preventing the delivery of quality Public primary healthcare services.
He said: “The workshop also allowed us to look at opportunities to improve healthcare services. Going forward, we have agreed with communities on area that we need to collaborate in our advocacy”
Meanwhile, the community members, CSOs, CBOs and NGOs also pledged to support the health workers’ advocacy campaign, and also collaborate to identify infrastructural gaps in health facilities as well as demand that the Kano state Government provide the needed resources.
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