By Usman Usman Garba
The Kano State Government has welcomed the National Task Shifting and Task Sharing (TSTS) Policy as part of efforts to address shortages of healthcare personnel, reduce maternal and child mortality, and improve access to quality healthcare services.
The State Commissioner for Health, Hon. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, stated this while declaring open the TSTS Investment Close-Out and Policy Dissemination policy held in Kano, Thursday.
Yusuf described the policy as a well-articulated framework for addressing persistent human resource challenges in the health sector, noting that despite the number of graduates produced annually by medical and other health-related institutions, Nigeria continued to face difficulties in meeting its healthcare workforce needs.
He explained that the initiative was necessary to communicate the policy’s objectives to the public, engage relevant stakeholders and encourage the adoption of appropriate task-shifting and task-sharing practices in healthcare delivery.
The commissioner commended the programme’s implementers and development partners for their contributions to strengthening healthcare services, particularly in maternal health, and acknowledged their support for disease-control programmes, including polio eradication efforts in the state.
He stressed the importance of collaboration between government and development partners in addressing challenges in the health sector before formally declaring the event open on behalf of the state government.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Director of Impact Catalyst, Isma’il Ahmed, said the organisation had partnered with Pathfinder International, the Kano State Ministry of Health and the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board for about three years to improve primary healthcare delivery.
Ahmed disclosed that the intervention covered 145 healthcare facilities in Kano State and 126 in Kaduna State, where community health extension workers received training in specialised skills to help reduce maternal and child mortality and improve access to quality primary healthcare services.
He explained that the organisations had worked closely with relevant stakeholders over the past two years to support the effective implementation of the TSTS Policy in both states.
According to him, the initiative focused on strengthening the capacity of frontline health workers to provide essential healthcare services and improve health outcomes in their communities.
The Country Director of Pathfinder International, Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi, said the event provided an opportunity to showcase the achievements of the project and share lessons learned from its implementation in collaboration with the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board and other stakeholders.
Dorayi explained that the close-out meeting was also designed to clarify responsibilities and identify measures needed to sustain the project’s achievements.
She said the implementing organisations were handing over project activities to the state government to promote continued ownership, responsibility and sustainability.
She added that the intervention had supported healthcare facilities and equipped frontline health workers with improved skills to manage health challenges, save lives and strengthen community health outcomes.
Similarly, Dr. Fatima, a technical adviser with Pathfinder International, emphasised the importance of building the capacity of existing healthcare personnel as part of efforts to address challenges in the health sector.
She noted that equipping available health workers with the necessary knowledge and skills could improve service delivery, particularly in communities facing shortages of healthcare professionals.
According to her, strengthening the capacity of existing personnel was an important strategy for improving access to quality healthcare, rather than relying solely on the recruitment of additional workers.
The event also featured goodwill messages from representatives of the Gates Foundation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other development partners, who reaffirmed the importance of collaboration in strengthening healthcare delivery.
A lecture titled “The Journey So Far: Strategy, Innovation, Achievements and Lessons Learned” was also delivered by Alhaji Ibrahim Gombe.
During the presentation, Gombe highlighted the programme’s achievements, challenges encountered during implementation and lessons learned, while outlining strategies for sustaining the gains recorded.
The event also featured the presentation of awards of excellence to some distinguished personalities in recognition of their contributions to strengthening healthcare services.
A panel discussion was also held, providing participants with an opportunity to share ideas, offer recommendations and discuss strategies for addressing challenges in the health sector and improving healthcare service delivery.
The event marked the close-out of the TSTS investment implemented in Kano and Kaduna states and provided a platform for disseminating the National Task Shifting and Task Sharing Policy to relevant stakeholders.
The policy seeks to strengthen healthcare delivery by enabling selected health tasks to be performed by appropriately trained health workers, within approved guidelines and their respective scopes of practice, particularly in areas facing shortages of skilled personnel.
