Wunmi Semudara
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency is set to launch the Community Based Health Research Innovative-Training and Services Programme (CRISP).
The program is meant to curb inadequate
distribution of skilled birth attendant in the health sector.
The NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr Faisal Shuaib disclosed this during a media parley in Abuja.
He hinted that the Innovation will be launched on the 22nd of May 2023 at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja.
Faisal said CRISP is a partnership between the Teaching Hospitals, Federal Medical Centre, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, State Primary Health Care Boards, Local Government Health Authorities and the communities to support primary health care development.
“This is aimed at leveraging the rural posting of Resident doctors from teaching hospitals to boost and guarantee the quality of care at the PHC level through their active involvement in primary health service
” It is targeted at improving Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, amongst other health services within the benefiting communities.
“ It will target Human Resources for Health (HRH) particularly Skilled Birth Attendants, such as Medical Doctors, Midwives, Nurses, and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) that have been trained on how to manage emergencies, it would be recruited and deployed to priority PHC facilities across the country”, he said.
The health agency said the intervention focuses on increasing, retaining and improving the quality, adequacy, competency, and distribution of a committed multidisciplinary primary healthcare workforce.
“It includes facility outreach and community-based health workers supported through effective management, supervision and appropriate compensation and as well address the required Skilled Birth Attendants (SBA) in Primary Health-Care (PHC) facilities across the country.
delivery”, he said.
Shuaib mentioned that the Programme would be funded by the Government of Nigeria with support from development partners and philanthropists, among others.
The Country Representative, World Health Organisation, (WHO) Dr Walter Mulombo, on his part, said the initiative is timely as the WHO has declared the end of Public Health Emergency of international concern for Covid-19 pandemic.
“This removes the exceptional status of the event. It also emphasised all countries should remain vigilant because the virus is still circulating.We are pleased to see that NPHCDA already took steps to integrate Covid-19 vaccination with other vaccination exercise and interventions”, he said
Dr Mulombo said the WHO is insisting on a collaborative approach for all key interventions.
” Epidemic, pandemic starts in communities, and ends in communities, so they need reliable data, evidence, policies and actions.We are pleased that NPHCDA is embarking on this initiative, the CRISP, because it will contribute to generate the body of evidence required to inform our interventions.”
The UNICEF Country Representative, Cristian Munduate, who was represented by the Chief of Health, Dr Eduardo Celedes
commended NPHCDA for implementing the program.
“In the past, we know that only 70% of pregnant women have access to an adult care, only 60% of pregnant women are able to have the full antenatal checkups.
One out of two of the new babies are attended by Skilled Birth Attendants, we know that more than 2 million women are not accessing antenatal care.”
Dr Celedes noted that neonatal mortality has not reduce, and despite the problems, less than 5 mortality is still on, one out of 10 children die before the end of five years.
“It is a great initiative by the leadership move to recruit more Nurses, Midwives and Doctors, train them to really have an impact on our PHC”. he added.
