National Health Fellows Programme Graduates 17, To Strengthen Healthcare Resilience In Enugu
17 Cohort One trainees of the National Health Fellows programme have graduated from one-year community healthcare training and deployed to strengthen healthcare resilience in Enugu State.
The National Health Fellowship is a flagship programme of the Federal Government, implemented under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAP) Coordination Office of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Presenting the certificates to the graduating trainees of the programme on Wednesday in Enugu, Gov. Peter Mbah commended President Bola Tinubu for initiating, supporting and funding the training to boost healthcare service delivery nationwide.
Represented by Commissioner for Labour and Employment, Dr Felix Nnamani, the governor said that Tinubu had shown practical concern for health and well-being of Nigerians living in rural areas where many Nigerians reside.
He thanked the Ministry for Health and Social Welfare for pulling the training through as well as appealed for more synergy with the Federal Government on manpower training and provision on amenities.
“This event is a clear commitment of Federal and Enugu State Governments to address the gap in healthcare services delivery especially in healthcare workers’ attitudinal change to ensure better outcomes for Nigerians especially residents of the state.
“As a state, we have expanded all we do in the healthcare sector to ward and community levels, and we needed this trainees to ensure quality healthcare gets to our people notwithstanding their locations in the state,” he said.
The governor congratulated the graduating trainees and charged them to be focused and dedicated to their duties to the citizens and humanity.
Speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, noted that the graduating trainees, who are fresh hands, had been trained to ensure resilience and better healthcare service delivery and outcomes.
“As a ministry, we appreciate President Tinubu and Gov. Mbah for ensuring all we do in our health system and facilities within the state are linked with the national through these graduating trainees who will raise the red flags.
“The graduating trainees will be embedded in our over 260 PHC centres across our ward and community levels to monitor staff commitment, punctuality and quality of care as well as availability of drugs, basic consumables and others.
“We are also thanking President Tinubu and the minister for already engaging you into the civil service; while within available resources we will assist to provide support to enable you carry out your job seamlessly,” he said.
Earlier,, the SWAP Desk Officer Enugu State Ministry of Health, Mrs Ujunwa Ewoh, noted that the programme is designed to strengthen leadership, management capacity and accountability within the Nigerian health system.
“The programme has trained young health professionals, one from each of the 17 council areas in the state, who would work closely with state and local healthcare systems/facilities to ensure prompt and quality service delivery,” Ewoh said.
She noted that the graduating trainees had undergone intensive training on leadership and people management, public health and health service delivery, financial management and data management among others.
Goodwill messages were received from the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku
and the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Universal Basic Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Edith Okolo, among others.
The highpoint of the event was the governor’s unveiling of another set of 17 youths from the 17 council areas of the state to undergo another one-year intensive community healthcare training under Cohort 2 National Health Fellowship Programme.