USAID holds dialogue on Pre-Service Health Training Institutions in Nigeria

USAID Nigeria Health Workforce Management (HWM) has held a one-day Annual Dialogue on Pre-Service Health Institutions in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The event is designed to draw attention to the production challenges of these institutions and identify opportunities for participants and collaborations towards addressing the issues inhibiting Human Resources for Health( HRH) production in Nigeria.

In his welcome address, the Country Director (HWM) Dr. Anddy Omoluabi said Nigeria faces significant challenges in producing, deploying, motivating, and retaining healthcare workers especially in the rural and heard to reach areas of the country.

“Many healthcare workers have migrated to other countries with better working conditions, and an estimated 11,400 trained nurses and midwives leave the country each year, having adequate Human Resources for Health (HRH) is essential for a strong health system”. He said.

Dr. Omoluabi noted that critical primary health care (PHC) workers, such as nurses, midwives, and community health extension workers (CHEWs), play a vital role in improving health outcomes through the basic and essential health services that they provide to the majority of the population, especially women and children.

“Nigeria must increase its efforts to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standard of a ratio of 5.9 nurses and midwives per 1,000 people. The production of these cadres, as well as the quality of training provided by the country’s pre-service health training institutions (PSHTIs) therefore requires immediate attention”. He added.

The Director USAID/Nigeria HPN Office, Mr. Paul McDermott who was represented by the team Lead Health Population and Nutrition USAID Nigeria, Mieko Mickay said Nigeria shoulders over 30-34% of the global burden of maternal death, and is now the world’s highest contributor to the deaths of children under the age of five years as well and the United States government through USAID is changing the reality with the Health Workforce Management activity, in partnership with the government of Nigeria at the national and the sub national level.

“With relevant professional regulatory bodies and pre service health training institutions by improving the quality of pre service training for health workers, fostering an environment that is conducive to learning is critical to pre service training of health workers. We know that a positive learning environment and good tutors are essential to improving primary health care, as they ensure students are fit for purpose and fit to practice in the health workforce. Good tutors are capable of fostering an environment that’s conducive to learning and are created through the deliberate formation adoption and implementation of sound policies”. She said.

Mickay said “today, USAID challenges the Government of Nigeria at all levels to make additional investments to improve the quality of pre service health training. We call on the leadership of the pre service health training institutions to improve accountability and prudence in the management and resources and we encourage students and tutors to demonstrate positive behaviors that promote supportive and collaborative learning.

The key note speaker, Executive Director, Nana Women and Girls Empowerment Initiative, Dr. Fatima Adamu in her recommendation to government said that “attitude must change and we must attach value in an investment of our pre service training institution as we’re doing with other tertiary institutions, and this is my call to the government especially at the state level that is not been done. we also need to get the balance right between technical and political engagement”. She said.

Dr. Adamu explained that the same time needed to address governance issue is one of the big challenges as the government don’t pay critical attention to pre-service training institution because of money being generated by the institution, she advise governments at all level to hold the institutions accountable so as not to allow the system to suffer.
“So working on governance issue about transparency and accountability in an institution is very, very critical”. She added.

The event brought together relevant stakeholders such as the government, professional health associations, regulatory bodies, the private sector, students, PSHTI managers, donor agencies, and implementing partners to draw attention to the critical HRH production challenges to address the issues.
The Theme for the USAID/Nigeria Health Workforce Management annual dialogue is: Production of Critical Primary Health Care Human Resources for Health in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities.