The Saving-One-Million-Lives (SOML), initiative of the Federal Government has commenced the training of 400 health care providers across the 16 local government area of Kwara State.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the training, Omar Hassan the Programme Manager, SOML in Kwara State, explained that the training included health workers being introduced to
modern health care best practices.
According to him, these includes provision of immunization, ante-natal care to HIV/AIDS mothers, to prevent mother to child transmission, Vitamin A supplement for children six months to nine months, arresting abortion and treatment, among others.
Hassan lamented that the country is still struggling with high Maternal and under-five mortality rates with about 900,000 women and children dying each year, largely from preventable causes.
“The Federal Government felt that through the SOML, all the states of the federation will adopt their different approaches to ensure maternal and infant deaths are reduced.
“SOML is an elaborate scheme to expand access to essential primary healthcare services for women and children,” he said.
He noted that the training included capacity building, provision of free basic equipment to health facilities across the state, and delivery of maternal kits to mothers.
The SOML Program Manager expressed happiness that the programme is yielding results in the state, as the state is improving.
Mubashir Uthman, a Consultant for the SOML training told newsmen that the sixth batch out of ten are currently undergoing training.
“So far about 164 health care workers have now been trained on best practices to manage new born and mothers,” he said.
Uthman who is also a Public Health Physician at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) said that the programme is about integrating maternal child training to community health extension workers across the 16 local government area.
According to him, indicators suggest that infant mortality rate is high in the state, which prompted the state government to empower health care workers.
Florence Afolabi, Officer in Charge, at Amoyo Basic Health Centre, in Ifelodun local government area, said the training from the SOML hasincreased their knowledge in Primary Health Care.
Another Health care provider, Olubunmi Okunloye, Officer in Charge at the Primary Health care centre, in Orolodo, Omuaran, Irepodun local government area said she was able to also train her staffs on what was learned from the SOML training.
Some of the health care centres visited included Amoyo Basic Health centre, Ifelodun local government area, Primary Health Centre, Orolodo, Omuaran, Irepodun local government area, as well as the Training centre for the healthcare providers at Omuaran.
SIKIRATB SHEHU, Ilorin
