Stakeholders call for integrated training of primary health care workers.
Stakeholders in the health sector on Wednesday called for effective training of primary health care workers to deliver quality services to women and children in Nigeria.
The call was made at the launch of integrated manual for primary health care workers in Abuja.
Dr Bupwatda Pokop, Public Health Physician, said that if health workers are trained with the newly launched manual, it will improve the health indices of the country.
Pokop who represented Prof. Mike Ogirima, President, National Medical Association(NMA) noted that the training manual was comprehensive.
According to him, the manual covers all the diseases that is presented at the primary health care centres.
He further added that the manual is a combination of everything, it talks about sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, prevention and treatment of malaria etc.
Dr Nneka Onwu, Director, Community Health Services, Primary Health Care Development Agency, said that with proper training a PHC worker can use the manual to administer treatment to a patient.
Onwu has assured the public of the implementation of the manual to improve the capacity of primary health workers.
The manual is a combination of of every thing about the mother and child, leprosy, malaria, HIV, and communicable diseases.
She also said that the document will be included in medical institutions to ensure that students are properly mentored for easy practice.
Onwu added that once a problem is recognised, solution was possible.
Dr Abubakar Izge, Project Adviser, Nigeria Maternal Newborn and Child Health Project (MNCH2), at the dissemination meeting of the integrated manual for PHC workers in Nigeria also called for the right attitude, skills and knowledge in the primary health care centres to deliver quality services to women and children.
Izge noted the high rate of maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria adding that the manual was key to solving the problem.
He said that the manual has the capacity to build and guide health care workers especially in the primary level in some key clinical areas to take care of mothers newborn and the child that die from preventable diseases.
Professor Adeyemi Adekunle while reviewing the manual, revealed the efficiency of the document in improving healthcare services in the primary health centres.
He explained how reliable the manual is to health workers saying "it contains information on productive health, communicable and non communicable diseases, vaccine correct able diseases, at natal care, labour care, family planing to mention but a few".
Iyabo Balogun, Chief Nursing Officer, who represented National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) said the manual will be of great help to a number of health workers.
Balogun said that it will help improve their knowledge and skills in the reduction of neonatal mortality and maternal mortality in the country.
She added that issues of lack of adequate health care personnel and facilities in primary health centres cannot be over emphasised as she urged the government to equip health centres for accessibility.
