… Employs Over 1,200 Health Professionals
No fewer than 15,000 health workers in Lagos State have undergone various capacity building exercises, including Clinical and Non-Clinical Training, Seminars and Continuous Medical Education (CME) programmes geared towards improving efficiency, service delivery and client satisfaction at all levels of healthcare delivery, the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi has said.
Abayomi, who disclosed this recently at the annual Ministerial Press Briefing organised to commemorate the second anniversary of the Governor Sanwo-Olu led administration in the health sector, stated that the training and professional development of healthcare providers, being the bedrock of qualitative healthcare service, has been accorded the priority it deserves by the present administration.
He noted that State health workers, through strategic training programmes and engagements, have been equipped with current information and skills to enrich qualitative and optimal health service delivery at all service points.
The Commissioner explained that selected health workers across all levels of the healthcare system in the State participated in a capacity building workshop on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) held between 24thand 26th November, 2020.
He added that the workshop was geared towards assisting them in developing knowledge and skills in basic concepts of PPPs in Health, applicable Government policies and legal framework for PPPs in Health, Assessing Value for Money in PPPs for Health, design of Contracts and Memoranda of Understanding in PPPs and Cost of Service Studies and Tariff Setting.
According to Abayomi, other engagements and workshops conducted for healthworkers include Capacity Building of Health Workers from private and secondary health facilities on Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) and REW component; maintaining infection, prevention & control measures within clinical and non-clinical environments, public health strategies for the management and control of COVID-19 as well as the need for a strategic shift to Home Support Management.
He noted that the Health Service Commission trained 1,600 health workers on COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control over a six-week period, stressing that participants at the training included officers drawn from the State-owned secondary health facilities, as well as healthcare volunteers from the private sector.
The Commissioner stated that the HealthService Commission also trained 500 medical personnel on Basic Life Support (BLS) and 200 others on Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), pointing out that the trained participants received certificates from the American Heart Association.
Disclosing also that health workers at the primary healthcare level, under the auspices of the Primary Health Care Board, were trained on emergency preparedness and infection prevention control in the healthfacilities, Abayomi said the programme included sessions on home-based care for COVID-19 management and took place within the last one year.
Abayomi mentioned that over 1,200 medical professionals were recruited in the health sector as part of the strategy to improve human resources for health and provide proactive management services that will engender a qualitative healthcare delivery.
He said, “A total of 944 health workers out of which 815 were core medical workers consisting of Consultants, Medical Officers, Pharmacists and Nurses were recruited by the Health Service Commission to improve service delivery and meet the health needs of Lagosians. 338 health workers were also employed by LASUTH personnel via the Internship and exit replacement windows. Out of this number, 299 are core medical personnel”.
The Commissioner maintained that the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration places priority on human capital development as well as infrastructural growth as a means of achieving its Health and Environment mandate of the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda.
While assuring that the government remains committed to ensuring best practices in healthcare delivery across the State, Prof. Abayomi stated that the government is also regulating the activities of Traditional Medicine practitioners and improving their capacity within their scope of practice.
“The Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, in keeping with its mandate to maintain a concise register, regulate code of conduct, train and ensure compliance to standard rules and regulations, monitor and license all practising Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Lagos State, organised a mandatory orientation training for Traditional Medicine Practitioners, Herbal Product Sellers and Traditional Birth Attendants”, he stated.
The Commissioner noted that increased investments in health over the years, especially in the areas of human resource capacity development, medical infrastructure and implementation of the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme and other aspects of health, affirms the commitment of this administration to the attainment of universal health coverage.
“There is still so much more to be done and the whole society including the government, the wider population, communities and business organisations have shared interest and roles in the quest for an efficient, equitable, affordable and accessible healthcare services for all”, Abayomi said.
