Pulse.ng : Kaduna Government to Implement Task Shifting Task Sharing Policy

By Stella Kabruk

The Kaduna State Ministry of Health on Thursday said it would review and implement its Task-shifting and Task-sharing (TSTS) policy to improve on Primary Healthcare delivery in the state.

Dr Aisha Abubakar -Sadiq, the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, said this at a one-day stakeholders’ meeting on the implementation of the Task Shifting /Task Sharing Policy in Kaduna.

She said the meeting was supported by a new investment from the Gates Foundation to Pathfinder International and its consortium partner, Impact Catalyst.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholder meeting is aimed to seek input to ensure the TSTS project aligns with the state healthcare priorities.

NAN reports that it will also address existing gaps in human resources for health (HRH).

It also aims at fostering collaboration and partnerships among key stakeholders, including government, implementing partners, and professional associations to support effective TSTS project.

The Permanent Secretary emphasised that before the ministry would be given clearance for recruitment, they would ensure they improved on the capacity of workers on ground.

Abubakar –Sadiq said the ministry would also find a way of sharing responsibilities to different groups to improve service delivery.

“ I am delighted to be here as ongoing discussions on task shifting and task sharing is a stop-gap measure to address our human resource challenges.

“It will also ensure we improve our service delivery point within our facilities.

“We spent last week in Abuja with the multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary team group going over the task shifting and task sharing policy for the state across all cadres,’’ she said.

She appreciated the stakeholders for their support and commitment in ensuring effective health care delivery to the citizens of the state.

Abubakar -Sadiq added that the delivery of universal health coverage was not something that could be done by one organisation or individually.

“We must make sure that health care is available, accessible and affordable to residents at the primary health centres.

“Even in advanced countries, this is the best means of achieving universal health coverage,’’ she said.

In a paper presentation, Dr Jonathan Gajere, the Director of Medical Services, said Kaduna State, like other states, recognised the need to improve access to healthcare, especially at the primary healthcare level.

He added that the state has focused on empowering community health extension workers (CHEWs) to provide contraceptive implants, conducting operations research to assess the feasibility of TSTS at community level.

“TSTS is a key strategy employed in the country’s healthcare system to address the shortage of healthcare professionals and improve the delivery of healthcare services, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

“The strategies involved redistributing tasks among different healthcare workers to maximise efficiency and improve access to quality health,’’ he said.

According to him, Kaduna State domesticated the Nigerian government’s TSTS policy in 2017, to improve healthcare access and service delivery by allowing lower-skilled staff to perform high-skilled tasks after receiving training.

He said the objectives of the policy are to actualise human resources for health workforce needs, outline the essential healthcare service-related tasks, and provide a frame workforce to empower a wider range of healthcare workers.

“The policy also aims at promoting the best use of competency and expertise of other healthcare workers, promote efficiency, effectiveness and accountability in resource utilisation.

“Kaduna state is delighted to have partners like Pathfinder International to implement TSTS initiatives,’’ he said.

In another presentation by Dr Fatima Fanna-Mairami, Senior Technical Advisor, Pathfinder International, said the investment from the Gates Foundation was more than just implementation.

She said it was a research-driven initiative that generates evidence to shape a sustainable and scalable TSTS model.

“The project aimed to pilot a comprehensive TSTS framework in Kaduna enhancing (J)CHEWs’ capacity to deliver integrated PHC services delivery.

“This will improved service access and quality, and providing evidence for scalability and policy changes to strengthen Nigeria’s health workforce,’’ he said.

She said that the overall goal was achieving optimised performance, quality and impact of HRH to improve PHC service delivery and outcomes.

She added that the objective was to strengthen the capacity of (J)CHEWs to deliver integrated PHC services with improved quality and efficiency.

In his Closing remarks, Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Bello Yusuf –Jamo, thanked Pathfinder for the support and assured them of collaboration to record success.