NACHPN appeals for more inclusiveness for effective health care delivery
The Bayelsa State Chapter of the National Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria (NACHPN), has called on the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to consider a member of the association as representative in the state’s primary health care board for effective service delivery.
According to the state Chairman, Dr. Doris Atibinye Dotimi, will help to foster good relationship and discharge of duties, and also give the association a sense of belonging in health care delivery.
Dr. Dotimi, noted that like what is obtainable in the National Primary Health Care Agencies and in the primary health care agencies or boards in other states of the federation, that has help improved professionalism of members.
The health expert, made her plea while speaking on Monday, during the opening ceremony of the community health week 2021, held in Yenagoa, with the theme “The Role of Community Health Practitioners in Improving the Reproductive Health of the Nation”.
She also expressed disappointment at the poor state of Primary health facilities in the rural areas of the state, which she likened to a shrine.
She observed that government at all levels has a major role to play in investing more on infrastructures and tools for effective service delivery for the good of the residents of those areas.
Dotimi, noted that the workshop was organized to discuss and proffer solution on how to combat the alarming rate of reproductive health issues in the society.
She frowned at the lack of manpower in Primary health care centres, adding that community Health Practitioners in the state are faced with large volume of work which is not the required standard.
“Majority of this workers are in settlements or communities that lack residential housing and discharge their duties in dilapidated infrastructures. Some work in areas where there is no infrastructure for PHC and are vulnerable to a variety of security threat”
She also said “We have over 1000 licensed JCHEWs, CHEWs, and CHOs volunteering in the health facilities without employments. It is also abnormal that civil servants are employed or promoted to cadres of the community health profession without a valid license for those cadres from the community health practitioners registration board of Nigeria which promotes quackery and jeopardizes the health of the communities”
She also used the opportunity to call on government to fund immunization and reproductive health programmes, employ more licensed community health practitioners in the state to fill existing health personnel gap in the state’s primary health care centres.
According to the state Chairman, Primary health care board, Mrs. Victoria Denenu, the role of the community health practitioners is enormous and tasking, adding that health care cannot be complete without the community health practitioners.
She commended them for constantly touch with households while carrying out their community based duties of diagnosing and treating common conditions with simple but scientifically sound measures.
She said that their request to becoming a member of the state’s primary health care board was noted and since the board is backed with laws that are subjected to review it was possible.
