The Minister of State for Health, Barr Ekumankama Joseph Nkama, has called on community health practitioners to be more responsive and operate within their level by making the necessary referrals when they are faced by challenges above their certified capacities.
The minister made this call, Monday, at the 2021 induction ceremony of Community Health Officers (CHO) held at the Naval Conference Centre, Abuja.
According to the minister, the current pandemic, especially the outbreak of monkey pox among others has made it necessary for the country’s health sector to be proactive in tracking possible challenges, and the community health officers are among the first to take responsibility as they are closer to the people.
He said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is doing its best in the delivery of health services to Nigerians, asking all hands to be on the deck in taking healthcare delivery to another level.
In his welcome remarks, the Register/CEO, Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria, Bashir Idris, congratulated the graduating inductees and urged them to distinguish themselves as they go into the health practice.
He said one of the missions of the Board is to improve the standard of community healthcare in Nigeria by regulating teaching, learning and practices of community healthcare delivery.
Idris said the orientation of the practitioners is essential in giving the newly qualified graduates the best possible start and integration into community healthcare while proper training they had will help them grow and reach their full potentials.
In a key note address, the Chairman of Health Practitioners Registration Board, Mr. Sule Galadima Sule, while congratulating the 2021 inductees said, the Board would continue to offer relevant courses and programmes, especially on the emerging issues in the health sector.
