USAID State2State holds data training for Kebbi health officers

A new dawn awaits the Kebbi state health sector with the resolution to ensure that, every entity within the sector begins to utilise data gathered, for policy formulation and inform decisions.

This is the outcome of a three-day training organised by USAID State2State, for monitoring and evaluation officers across the state health MDAs and CSOs, held in Sokoto.

The State2State Kebbi state team lead, Usman Faleye, remarked that the training is to support the health sector to improve in their service delivery across board.

“Other objectives of this technical training is on how NHMIS and the DHIS-2 work and how data is transformed; understanding the basics of monitoring and evaluation, and the essence of data generated for informed decisions for government and partners who want to come and support the state,” Faleye stated.

Dr Jibril Labbo Gwandu, who represented the commissioner for health at the event commended State2State for the timely training that will help participants generate, analyse and usage of data.

Gwandu, Kebbi state Director of medical Services, who expressed optimism that participants will maximize the opportunity the training avail them on adequate use of data said, “if data generated are properly harnessed, it will be to the good of the state particularly, in the health sector.

He said, “I believe that participants will improve their knowledge and have their capacity updated in generating data for policymakers to utilise for the good of the state.”

Professor Umar Usman, Statistician General, Kebbi Bureau of Statistics, participants pinpointed that, data gathering and processing is a waste of time, if not translated to proper and effective use, which reason why the three days of training is of utmost Importance.

“One important take home from the training is that lapses in validating data gathered have been identified and the gap will surely be bridged,” Umar posited.

State2State SMEL Specialist, Sani Ibrahim, who dwells on ‘understanding monitoring and evaluation system and definition of a key concept,’ noted that “participants are reawakened on the importance of collecting quality data, which will be transmitted to policy and decision makers to move health issues in Kebbi state from where it is presently, to a better and appreciable level.

Ibrahim said, “Stakeholders now understand the process of entering data, do a critical and quality of those data to form reports for usage by policymakers for collaboration, good planning, budgeting and programme designing in Kebbi state.”

Topics treated during the training include background of the National Health Management Information System, NHMIS; Presentation on the source of health data and practical demonstration of filling health registers; Practical/Hands-on on inputting data into DHIS-2, downloading, pivoting, analysing and interpreting the data.

There were also discussions, group works, presentations on data for decision making, and design and development of monitoring and evaluation programme monthly and quarterly reports.

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