NSOANP to strengthen collaborations, upscale engagement with policymakers
The National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anaesthesia and Nursing Plan (NSOANP) says it is set to strengthen collaborations at all levels and upscale engagement with policymakers.
This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the 2nd NSOANP and Cleft Care Stakeholders’ Forum held in Abuja.
It said that the move would set the pace for monitoring already existing policies and agreements for implementation and set clear goals for specific aspects of the plan.
The two-day Stakeholders’ Forum focused on an overview of Cleft Care in Nigeria and the state of Cleft Care in all the six geopolitical zones of the country, children’s surgery progress, workforce, and service delivery progress, among others.
Delivering a keynote address, Mrs Nkeiruka Obi, Vice President, and Regional Director Africa, Smile Train, applauded the Federal Ministry of Health for the implementation of NSOANP.
According to her, it is the power of consistency that is driving the implementation of the plan.
She commended participants for their commitment so far, saying that the implementation of the plan had become a flagship programme in Africa with Nigeria taking the lead.
Recommendations at the end of two break-out sessions highlighted the urgent need for more intense collaborations with healthcare providers to expand and determine the scope of coverage, leveraging and collaborating with the private/military sector to enhance service delivery.
Also highlighted was the need for improved efficiency of service delivery through the use of electronic health records, and the development of a national database to capture all surgical procedures by collaborating with the department of health planning, research, and statistics.
The recommendation noted that encouraging diaspora engagement and partnership, expanding research management, and identifying relevant thematic areas for research funding are key areas of in need of further collaborations.
The recommendations also said advocating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) among national and multinational companies, investment in developing research capacity (advocacy and collaboration between NSOANP, DHPRS, Management of FMoH, TETFUND, and other potential sponsors), among others, would modify and redesign existing structures to enhance cleft care and other predominant corrective surgeries in Nigeria.
Newsmen reports that the two-day forum had in attendance 70 participants with representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health, Smile Train, health associations, and regulatory bodies, as well as other stakeholders in the health sector.
