Bauchi adopts TSTS policy for health service delivery

The Bauchi State Ministry of Health, says it has adopted the Task Shifting and Task Sharing (TSTS) policy to encourage utilisation of health workers towards enhancing healthcare service delivery in the state.

Dr Samaila Dahuwa, the state Commissioner for Health, stated this during the dissemination of the revised TSTS policy on Thursday in Bauchi.

Supreme reports that the TSTS it involve the rational redistribution of tasks among health workforce from highly qualified health workers to health workers with lower qualifications for effective service delivery.

TSTS is one of the strategies for accelerating the progress towards achieving health of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The policy focuses on key priority areas such as Reproductive, Health, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health (RMNCH), HIV, TB, malaria, communicable and non communicable diseases.

Dahuwa, represented by Dr Robinson Yusuf, said that the national policy on TSTS was adopted in 2014 with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He said that the document was reviewed and updated to fast track optimal utilisation of available human resources for improved healthcare services in the state.

"A task analysis that was conducted in 2015 provided evidence indicating that rural areas of the state have the lowest concentration of health workers leading to high mortality rate.

"It is important to appreciate that the TSTS policy short term and temporary is not designed to take way tasks from professional cadres, rather to make optimum utilisation of the staff currently available in the state health facilities.

"Worthy of note is the revision is the inclusion of cadres such as community midwives, community pharmacist, environmental workers for the first time," he said.

According to him, the strategy will assist in ensuring redistribution of tasks among existing cadres to enhance access to quality healthcare.

The Commissioner commended development partners and other stakeholders for their support towards the successful validation and reviewing of the document.

He urged stakeholders and development organisation to collaborate with the state government towards successful implementation.

In his remarks, Dr Bukar Largema, IHP Adviser, Human Resource for Health, said that the TSTS policy would complement government efforts to fill the existing gap for health workers.

"TSTS is to move some responsibility from high to lower professionals. It will also help the high professionals to manage critical cases," he said.

He said that the health workers would undergo training to enhance delivery of healthcare services.

Also, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), said that 220 Community Health Workers (CHEWS) would soon be deployed across the 20 local government areas under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF).