Lagos trains 825 health workers on service delivery

Benjamin Omoike, Lagos

In its bid to foster qualitative healthcare service delivery and increase patients’ utilisation of efficient and affordable health services in all state-owned health facilities, the Lagos state government is training 825 health workers on personal and work etiquette as well as professional core values.

Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Titilayo Goncalves, who made this known while addressing participants at a capacity training held in Ikeja, noted that the 825 health workers consist of core health workers

and other professionals working in the health sector within the senior management cadre drawn from primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities as well as departments of the state Ministry of Health, Lagos state Health Service Commission and Lagos state Primary Healthcare Board.

“Although, nurses form the bulk of the participants, other core health workers like doctors, pharmacists, laboratory technicians and professionals working in the health sector like engineers, accountants, administrative and human resource officers and public affairs officers amongst others are also being trained,” the permanent secretary said.

Goncalves while explaining the rationale for the training said that the state government through the Ministry of Health has been inundated with complaints and reports from patients and the public on poor attitude of its health workforce prompting the need for orientation and re-orientation.

“The complaints and reports have become worrisome and it is inimical to our goal of providing quality, affordable and efficient health services to the populace, hence the initiation of these trainings which overall goal is to assist health workers and other related professional in health service delivery system to improve their attitude for greater level of effectiveness at work,” she added.

According to her, the training will be held daily for 13 days except on weekends and public holidays where 66 participants on a daily basis will undergo sessions on values, empathy, client or customer satisfaction, positive mindset, attitude, courtesies, time management and professionalism.

She implored health workers, especially nurses and doctors to continue to exude professionalism, discipline, integrity, humility, selflessness and great care built on patient centred care in the discharge of their noble duties, adding that patient centred care is an essential tool for improving the quality of healthcare services in Lagos state.