646 Bauchi health workers trained on gender responsiveness
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Chief of Field Office in Bauchi State, Mr Tushar Rane, said 646 community-based frontline healthcare workers are receiving training in primary healthcare gender responsiveness.
Rane said this at the launch of the three-day training on Thursday in Toro Local Government Area of the state.
Represented by UNICEF Health Specialist, Mr Emedo Emmanuel, the UNICEF Field Office Chief said that the responsiveness training was on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health (RMNCAH).
He added that the training, from May 26 to May 28, holding across the 20 local government areas of the state, was part of the health sector development initiative funded by the Government and People of Canada, through Global Affairs Canada.
He said, “In spite the successes, the state must keep building on its achievements by working to bridge identified gaps in knowledge, gender responsiveness of RMNCAH delivery.
“The lack of female practitioners and poor health staff behaviours have been identified, among other factors as hindrances to the demand for healthcare among pregnant and parenting young people, and adolescents in Bauchi.
“This is by embedding gender responsiveness in the PHC system, we can amplify the rights and dignity of clients, most importantly women and adolescent girls.
“The training is expected to enhance awareness and knowledge of participants on identifying and addressing gender barriers to healthcare delivery.”
Rane said the training would create and empower demand for PHC services, especially with regards to antenatal and postnatal care, skilled. Birth attendance, child immunisation and others.
He explained that the Bauchi State Primary HealthCare Development Agency had also developed mechanisms for monitoring and refreshing the knowledge of frontline workers after the training to ensure sustainability of the activity.
He added that UNICEF and partners formulated quality indicators to periodically assess the impact of training and challenges health workers may face in applying gender responsiveness in PHC delivery.
The UNICEF Gender Consultant, Ms Kabati Baba-Tokara, said that the aim of the training was for participants to understand gender-related barriers in RMNCAH.
She added that the training would help health workers to be gender sensitive, saying that understanding gender responsiveness would reduce the burden of maternal and infant mortality and mobility.
In his speech, the Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, said the attitude and long hours of waiting had affected women access to healthcare.
Mohammed also identified inadequate human resource for healthcare in the state as another hinderance to healthcare access.
He, however, said that the present administration had approved the recruitment of 1,016 community midwives to be deployed across all primary healthcare centres in the state.
