By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said it has deployed one thousand, three hundred and thirty-five (1,335) basic midwives out of a total of one thousand five hundred and eighty-nine basic midwives targeted for orientation to revitalized primary healthcare centers and other areas of critical need nationwide.
This was contained in a statement issued today by the agency’s Head, Public Relations Unit, Saadu Salahu.
It said the move was in line with the presidential commitment to ensure functionality of revitalized primary health care centers with the full complement of human resources for primary healthcare services especially in the rural areas.
“The others could not be deployed because they were found to be already engaged by either the states or some NGOs.”
It said the Executive Director and Chief Executive, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the orientation programme and capacity building for the new Basic Midwives held in Abuja recently.
Represented by the Director, Primary Healthcare System Development, Dr. Oladimeji Olayinka, Dr. Faisal said the Federal Government’s partnership with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) will engage and deploy the Basic Midwives on one – year compulsory community service as part of the concerted efforts to reduce the current high rate of maternal, child and infant morbidity and mortality in the country.
The executive director described midwives as critical stakeholders in the production of effective primary healthcare services in the country.
He told the midwives that they would be trained on Emergency Obstetric Care (EMOC), LifeSaving Skills (LSS), and other critical life-saving packages to further build their capacity and properly equip them with adequate knowledge and skills for the task ahead.
He also admonished them to cultivate good behavior and inter-personal communication skills that would endear them to their communities and clients and thus improve demand for their services at the primary health care facilities.
Dr. Faisal disclosed that two (2) midwives would be deployed to each prioritized health facility and that a monthly stipend of N30, 000.00 would be paid to each of them.
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