A former Commissioner for Health in Oyo State, Dr Kayode Afolabi has disclosed that Nigeria needs more trained mid-level manpower to tackle the health challenges facing majority of people at the rural communities.
Afolabi tasked the federal, state and local governments to engage more trained manpower to contribute to healthcare services delivery, especially at community level.
Dr Afolabi, who doubles as the Provost of Premier College of Health Technology, Ibadan made the call while speaking at the maiden convocation ceremony of the institution on Friday, noting that the contributions of mid-level health professionals cannot be ignored, especially at the community level.
“I wish to specially acknowledge the Community Health Practitioner Registration Board of Nigeria and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for their regulatory guidance, quality assurance, and unwavering support to our college and other colleges of Health Technology in Nigeria.
“Your standards have shaped our academic structures and ensured that our programmes meet national benchmarks. We are equally grateful to the Oyo State Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board and Oyo State Hospitals Management Board for their partnership and encouragement since the establishment of this College.
“As you receive your certificates, remember that you also receive a charge to serve with professional excellence, ethical discipline, humility, and compassion. In the course of your duty, you will encounter moments that test your knowledge and your character. Let integrity guide your decisions, let empathy shape your interactions, and let a commitment to lifelong learning sustain your growth. Wherever you serve, whether in the bustling urban centres or underserved rural communities, be healers, be leaders, be worthy representatives of this College and agents of positive change.
Meanwhile, Professor of Clinical Sciences, at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Imran Moharson-Bello, in his convocation lecture, advised governments at all levels to improve the capacity of community health workers because they are the closet to the people at the grassroots.
“Presently in Nigeria, we have over 10,000 primary healthcare centres. But, as at today, only 46 per cent of Primary Healthcare centres are functional. It is important for everybody particularly the graduands to know that convocation marks a transition from learning to leadership. There are a lot of challenges which I have identified.
‘There should be nobody living that should not have access to quality healthcare services. It is important to be sensitive to the social cultural contexts of the environment. You should understand this. Primary Healthcare is the foundation. Any nation that needs to have healthy must invest to build the capacity of the community health workers. We need to appeal to the government to make social amenities to be available at the rural communities to make life more meaningful,” Prof Moharson-Bello said.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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