Kwara trains healthcare workers on integrated maternal healthcare

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Kwara 

About 440 primary healthcare workers across the sixteen local government areas of Kwara State have been trained on integrated maternal and newborn child health under the Saving One Million Lives Programme of the Federal Government. 

The training covers integrated maternal, newborn and child health, immunization, family planning, treatment of children with fever, antenatal and more.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State Programme Manager, Dr Omar Ibrahim said the training was a capacity building for workers in primary healthcare.

The programme helps babies breathe, and is targeted at reducing the rate of maternal mortality in the state.

The four years programme started in 2017 in the state but was extended due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

“We do not want an increase in maternal mortality. To achieve this, we needed to have health workers who know the best practices. Aside telling them the best thing to do, there is also practical session

“This is not the first training we would be doing. We have done several capacity building since the inception of the programme in 2017. But fortunately, this is the last one as the programme is rounding off. The kind of training we’ve given them is one that could be passed down to other healthcare workers

“The programme is sponsored by the Federal Government with support from the World Bank. Kwara State has been performing well, the more reason the state is at this stage,” he said.

Dr Ibrahim said there are medical equipment put in various health facilities to work with, adding that the programme covers all the state and the FCT. 

He advised the participants to put the knowledge gained during the training into use as soon as they get to their various facilities.