Kwara state trains health workers on maternal, newborn care

The Kwara Government has opened a 10-day intensive training for 60 healthcare workers from the 16 local government areas of the state in Omuaran.

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The Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Nusirat Elelu said, the training is a build-up from years of dedicated hard work.

According to her, the state government’s commitment to healthcare deems it fit to increase the indices of quality services to citizens.

She added that, “This year, the quality of healthcare services is central. Government has committed a lot of resources to improving health infrastructure across the state.

“The next step is to increase and improve healthcare services across the 16 local government areas.

“The government of AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq is ready to give minimum training to improve healthcare of mothers and infants.”

The executive secretary said 94,276 women were recorded to have attended antenatal care across the Primary Health Care (PHCs) centres in the state in 2020.

She also said that in 2023, a total of 422,631,000 women were recorded to have attended antenatal care in the PHCs, amounting to a huge increase, hence the need for commensurate services to cater for the rising number.

“The perception of healthcare workers is important and we are prepared to get participants of this training on board. And at the end of the training, they will be certified.”

Elelu, therefore, urged the participants to take the training with all sense of responsibility to handle the over 400,000 mothers who accessed antenatal care in the state.

On his part, the Director of Primary HealthCare Services, Dr Micahel Oguntoye, said that Nigeria still carried high burden of maternal and neonatal deaths, many of which unregistered.

He reiterated the need to change the narrative, “This is possible if healthcare workers are given the necessary knowledge and know-how.”

Prof. Adebayo Muhammad, the Lead Facilitator of the training, said that the training would ensure that all participants improved their knowledge on emergency obstetrics and newborn care.

He added that the training would also equip healthcare workers with skills on essential obstetrics and newborn care, among others.

Muhammad urged the participants to utilise the knowledge acquired to check maternal and newborn mortality in the state.