For the next 10 days, 60 doctors, nurses, and midwives from primary healthcare centres across Kwara State will step away from their routine clinical duties to undergo intensive training designed to strengthen their capacity to manage maternal and newborn emergencies.
The Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care training commenced on Monday in Ilorin. It is being organised by the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, with support from UNICEF.
Participants were drawn from health facilities across the state’s 16 local government areas.
Declaring the training open, the Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Prof. Nusirat Elelu, urged participants to take full advantage of the programme.
“This training offers you a unique opportunity to strengthen your knowledge and practical skills in emergency obstetric and newborn care. I encourage every participant to commit fully to all the sessions and make the most of this learning experience,” she said.
Prof. Elelu also charged participants to cascade the knowledge acquired during the programme to their colleagues.
“The facilitators were carefully selected because of their competence, experience, and expertise. We expect participants to receive high-quality practical training that will significantly improve emergency obstetric and newborn care services across our primary healthcare facilities,” she added.
She noted that maternal and newborn health remains a government priority, with substantial resources already committed to the sector, stressing that the benefits of the programme must extend beyond the training venue.
“The huge resources committed to this programme must be justified through improved quality of healthcare delivery. The knowledge and practical skills acquired during this training should translate into better outcomes for mothers and newborns across Kwara State,” Prof. Elelu said.
