The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and the Johnson and Johnson Global Health, have convened co-creation workshops to address identified gaps in the country’s nursing and midwifery profession.
The stakeholders, according to a statement on Monday, will develop a road map addressing oncology, mental health and midwifery services for future national planning in North Central and South West Nigeria.
According to the statement, “This week, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in collaboration with the Johnson and Johnson Foundation, Medicaid Cancer Foundation, the Real Visionaries Initiative, supported by the Wellbeing Foundation Africa convened a two-day co-creation workshop which took place in Abuja and Lagos from April 4 to 5 and April 7 to 8.
“This ongoing Co-creation Workshop seeks to address the gaps in oncology nursing, mental health nursing and midwifery education in Nigeria; developing a road map to address improvements in nursing and midwifery in the two geo-political zones of South West and North Central Nigeria.
“The Co-Creation Workshops welcomed the participation of strategic global and national stakeholders such as the Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa and Global Health Advocate, Mrs Toyin Ojora-Saraki; the Founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Mrs Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu; the Director Global Community Impact Africa of Johnson and Johnson Global Health, Laura Nel; the Global Programmes Director for Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Dr Charles Ameh; the Director of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh; and representatives from the Association of Psychiatrist of Nigeria, Nigeria Cancer Society, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, The West African College of Nursing as well as representation from the North Central and South West geopolitical zone and the Federal Capital Territory.”
I n his remarks, the Global Programmes Director for Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Dr Charles Ameh, said, “At the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, we believe that our partners in the global south understand the challenges within the health systems and we are more than happy to facilitate the discussions to bring solutions to these challenges.
“We believe that the health workers are the centre of the health systems spectrum and therefore require proper training, deployment and retention in the three focal areas of this workshop – oncology nursing, mental health nursing and midwifery.”
In her keynote address, Ojora-Saraki reiterated the role of midwifery in delivering respectful maternal care, with midwives being capable of providing 87 per cent of care required by mothers and newborns.
She said, “Improving the capacity of health care workers, especially nurses and midwives, to provide respectful care on oncology and mental health, is key to improving the health service delivery within the country.
“Nursing and midwifery are likely to make the most significant contribution to achieving SDG three in the areas of mental health, oncology, and maternal-newborn health. The Wellbeing Foundation Africa has worked with the federal and regional governments of Nigeria to improve the training, working conditions and remuneration of midwives, as well as deploying midwives to underserved, rural areas of the country.
“Through our MamaCare360 Antenatal and Postnatal Education programme, we have continued to advocate increased midwifery care in reducing maternal mortality during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods.”
