Kaduna govt. to implement new task policy for effective PHC delivery
The Kaduna State Ministry of Health announced on Friday that it will review and implement its Task-Shifting and Task-Sharing (TSTS) policy to improve primary healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Aisha Abubakar-Sadiq, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, made the announcement at a one-day stakeholders’ meeting on the implementation of the Task Shifting/Task Sharing Policy in Kaduna.
The meeting was supported by a new investment from the Gates Foundation to Pathfinder International and its consortium partner, Impact Catalyst.
Supreme news reports that the meeting aims to seek input to ensure the TSTS project aligns with the state’s healthcare priorities and to address existing gaps in human resources for health (HRH).
It also sought to foster collaboration and partnerships among key stakeholders, including government, implementing partners, and professional associations, to support the effective implementation of the TSTS project.
Abubakar-Sadiq emphasised that before the ministry would be cleared for recruitment, it would focus on improving the capacity of existing workers.
She also mentioned that the ministry planned to share responsibilities among various groups to improve service delivery.
“I am delighted to be here as ongoing discussions on task shifting and task sharing are a stop-gap measure to address our human resource challenges.
“It will also ensure we improve our service delivery points 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 expressed appreciation for the stakeholders’ support and commitment to ensuring effective healthcare delivery in the state, emphasising that the delivery of universal health coverage was a collective effort.
“We must make sure that healthcare 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 added.
In a paper presentation, Dr Jonathan Gajere, Director of Medical Services, noted that Kaduna State, like other states, recognised the need to improve access to healthcare, particularly at the primary healthcare level.
He added that the state had focused on empowering community health extension workers (CHEWs) to provide contraceptive implants and conducting operations research to assess the feasibility of TSTS at the 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 healthcare,” he explained.
Gajere stated that Kaduna State domesticated the Nigerian government’s TSTS policy in 2017, aiming to improve healthcare access and service delivery by allowing lower-skilled staff to perform high-skilled tasks after receiving training.
He said the policy’s objectives included addressing human resources for health needs, outlining essential healthcare tasks, and promoting the efficient use of healthcare workers’ competencies.
“Kaduna State is delighted to have partners like Pathfinder International to implement TSTS initiatives,” he said.
In a separate presentation, Dr Fatima Fanna-Mairami, Senior Technical Advisor at Pathfinder International, emphasised that the investment from the Gates Foundation was not just about implementation.
She explained that it was also a research-driven initiative aimed at generating evidence to shape a sustainable TSTS model.
She explained that the project aimed to pilot a comprehensive TSTS framework in Kaduna, enhancing the capacity of (J)CHEWs to deliver integrated primary healthcare services.
“This will improve service access and quality, providing evidence for scalability and policy changes to strengthen Nigeria’s health workforce,” she said.
She added that the ultimate goal was to optimise the performance, quality, and impact of the health workforce to improve primary healthcare service delivery and outcomes.
In his closing remarks, Dr Bello Yusuf-Jamo, Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, thanked Pathfinder for their support and assured them of continued collaboration to ensure success.
