“MARIE Stopes International’’, an  NGO in the Health sector, says it’s working with healthcare providers to build the capacity of Community Health Extension workers (CHEW) in Gombe State.

This is to enable them to improve in the area of quality service delivery in the Reproductive Health sector.

Dr Kingsley Udogu, Director, Clinical Services of the healthcare provider in Nigeria, disclosed this in Gombe on Wednesday during a one-day meeting on Women Integrated and Sexual Health Services.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NGO has been in Gombe since 2016, working in the area of Reproductive Health, child spacing, among others.

According to a recent survey conducted by the group, 17 per cent of Midwives are working in the Primary Health Care facilities.

He also said that majority of the staff, amounting to between 75 and 80 per cent, were health workers whose capacity needed to be built up for optimal performance.

“We will prioritise these cadres of staff, to enable them deliver quality services.

“We will also support them with commodities to serve the poor of the poorest in the rural communities because we have identified health facilities without support,’’ he said.

Udogu said plans were on to train 10 master trainers who were Nurses/Midwives, to train others and continue to supervise the facilities after we leave the state.

He said the expected outcome is to ensure that women can safely plan their pregnancies and improve their sexual Reproductive health and Rights.

“We want women to be pregnant by choice, not by chance,’’ he said.

Alhaji Yaya Hammari, Chairman, Gombe State Primary HealthCare Development Agency (GSPHCDA), commended the organisation for the support to healthcare delivery in the state.

He said the state adopted a child spacing policy, which has now become more acceptable, when compared with family planning.

Hammari also called for the timely release of funds budgeted for child spacing in the state.

Mr Malalaku Raphe, Director, Pharmaceutical Services, Ministry of Health, advised those that would be trained to utilise the knowledge to support health care.

Also speaking, Hajiya Maryam Abubakar, Deputy Director, Primary HealthCare, Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, said the meeting was timely.

She said it would go a long way in improving reproductive health services in the state.

–NAN

BE

– Nov. 7, 2018 @ 15:59 GMT |