Kwara govt. tasks healthcare providers on unity, task-sharing

By Arowona Abdulazeez

The Kwara Commissioner for Health, Dr Atolagbe Alege, has advocated on a policy where responsibilities be shifted from highly qualified medical personnel to the lower qualified ones.

Alege made the call on Saturday in Ilorin during a keynote address he gave at the launch of the Kwara state Task Shifting and Task Sharing policy.

The programe was in conjunction with stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Health, Kwara State Ministry of Health and Pathfinder International, a Non Governmental Organisation on health.

The Commissioner said the policy would offer opportunity to train the less qualified health workers to acquire competence on the task so shifted.

“These arrangement will bridge the gap associated with mal-distribution of health workforce, migration effect and low turn-over in annual production of health workforce,” he said.

He reminded the healthcare providers that their duty is to serve humanity, which he said called for unity among them.

“The healthcare workers need to change their mindset of working independently but should focus more on working together, uniting and discussing on ways to help people,” he said.

The Commissioner also explained that the government would address the disproportionate distribution of health care providers in urban areas when compared with the ones at rural areas.

Alege noted the state government recruited 216 workers in 2016 and will continue with the recruitment.

Also speaking at the event, Mr Wale Adeleye, Pathfinder International Consultant, who presented the Kwara state Task Sharing Policy and Standard Operational Procedure said task shifting in Nigeria is considered as an interim measure.

He explained that it will be implemented alongside other efforts to increase the numbers of skilled health workers.

In her remarks, Mrs Remi Bajomo representing the Director of Reproductive health, Federal Ministry of Health, explained that the policy was aimed to instigate the workforce in healthcare delivery.

She explained that policy goal is to meet the Universal coverage and the health needs of the Nigeria population through mobilization of available human resources, so as to ensure effective healthcare services.

Also in his contribution the Project Director ,Pathfinder International, Dr Habeeb Salami commended for its efforts in making
healthcare delivery available and accessible to the people in the state.

Habeeb stated that the policy would enhance access to healthcare services which will improve maternal and mortality rate to the barest minimum.