By Michael Oche
Government, civil society organisations, and health unions have been urged to take urgent action to strengthen primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria by improving the welfare, training, and support systems for Community Health Workers (CHWs), who serve as the backbone of healthcare in rural and underserved communities.
The call was made during a one-day stakeholders’ engagement in Kano with the theme “organising community health workers for a progressive vision of public health” organised by Public Services International (PSI), a global union federation for workers in the public sector.
The workshop which is part of the PSI Community Health Project, being implemented in Nigeria, brought together representatives from Kano state government, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), members of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Community Health Workers, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to strategize on improving primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria, and particularly Kano.
Participants at the workshop discussed the critical role of Community Health Workers in rural and underserved communities, the challenges they face including poor working conditions and limited career progression, and ways to strengthen policies, resources, and support systems to advance universal health coverage in the state.
In his welcome remarks, Kano State Chairman of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Babangida Musa, emphasized the key role of community health workers, describing them as the “backbone of primary healthcare delivery.”
He commended PSI for bringing the project to Kano to support, and encourage community health workers towards effective service delivery especially at the PHC level.
Comrade Musa stressed that Nigeria cannot achieve effective health care delivery without strengthening primary health care, where community health practitioners play a pivotal role.
He recalled that the PSI Community Health project has held a series of capacity building and community engagement for community health workers, saying that the workers have benefited immensely from the knowledge shared.
He said, “I thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow. Your intentions to empower and educate our community health workers are truly valued. We appreciate your commitment to capacity building and knowledge sharing through this project.”
In his welcome address President of MHWUN, Comrade Kabiru Ado Sani commended the PSI for the workshop, noting that such engagements provide opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on challenges faced by health workers and offered recommendations to improve healthcare delivery especially at rural communities.
“We are all aware that Nigeria is one of the countries left behind in quality service delivery at PHC level. This type of meeting is important to find solutions,” he said.
Represented by the National Vice President (North-West), Comrade Husseini Hamisu, the president emphasized the need to build capacity for community health workers to reduce the pressure on secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities
He charged the Kano State Government to look into some of the challenges faced by the health workers, especially welfare and manpower shortage.
He expressed the commitment of MHWUN to continue to partner with PSI in advocating improved working conditions for community health workers, while ensuring that they are also capacitated.
“We will do all we can to make sure everyone is carried along,” he said.
In his address, Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Labaran Yusuf stressed the contribution of Community Health Workers to the effectiveness of the health system, especially in Kano State
Represented by the Director of Medical Services, Dr. Shehu Usman Abdullahi, the Commissioner expressed the commitment of the state government to address the challenges facing the healthcare sector, particularly at Primary Healthcare level.
He said, “In Kano, we have one of the worst indices in maternal mortality, so we are doing all we can to make sure we address all these challenges. But from where? You have to go to Primary Healthcare level. If PHC is not working there’s no way we can achieve our targets, all interventions must start at PHC level. If you don’t prevent it at that level, by the time it comes to the secondary or tertiary level, then the burden is much higher. ”
He disclosed that the state government has taken steps to address budgetary challenges to the healthcare sector by implementing the Abuja Declaration of 15 percent allocation of annual budget to healthcare.
He said, “one of the challenges in Nigeria is budgetary provision. But for Kano, we have passed the Abuja declaration of 15 percent budgetary allocation to healthcare ”
The Commissioner also lamented the challenges facing health care delivery in Kano, including congestion due to its large population and the daily influx of visitors, but noted that it is taking steps to address such challenges, through partnership with organizations such as PSI.
Comrade Moradeke Abiodun-Badru, PSI Project Coordinator for English-Speaking West Africa, in her remarks at the workshop, emphasized the critical role of Community Health Workers in the primary healthcare system, noting that they are critical to the foundation of public health care, particularly in many developing countries.
She noted that the project being implemented in Nigeria seeks to organise community health workers to have decent work and deliver quality primary health care services.
She also explained that the workshop hopes to provide Community health workers a platform to discuss some challenges and how it affects delivery of quality public primary healthcare services.
Other dignitaries present at the event included the Kano Coordinator of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the representative of the Director of the State Primary Health Care Management Board, the Kano State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Kano State Chairman of the Joint Public Services Negotiating Committee (JNC) among others.
