By Aderogba George, NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), an NGO, have commenced the second batch training of National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) faculty examiners.
Mrs Adanna Maduka, Director of Policy, Partnerships and Grants, WBFA, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.
She said that the second batch training on Advanced Obstetrics and Surgical Skills (AOSS) training for NPMCN faculty examiners commenced on Monday June 3, with 24 participants.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the organisers held the first batch of the training in May.
The training is taking place the project’s Centre of Excellence at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Maduka said that the training was aimed at supporting the NPMCN faculty examiners in training resident doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology (OBGYN), as well as ensuring quality assurance, and evaluating programmes.
She quoted Dr Hauwa Mohammed, Country Director for LSTM Nigeria, as while encouraging participants to engage actively with the training assured them of an enriching training experience.
Dr Helen Allott, the Course Director, said the project was aimed at enhancing maternal and child healthcare outcomes across Nigeria.
Allott said that LSTM’s and WBFA’s were committed in strengthening the healthcare systems as well as to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in country.
“This effort underscores the partnering organizations’ response to Nigeria’s high maternal and neonatal mortality rates’’, he said.
According to Allott, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that Nigeria has the second-highest maternal death rate globally and one of the highest neonatal mortality rates in Africa.
She quoted the WHO as saying that Nigeria has 800 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and a neonatal mortality rate of 33 per 1,000 live births in 2019.
She said that by advancing AOSS competency-based curriculum for resident doctors in OBGYN at NPMCN, the partners aimed to ensure high-quality healthcare for mothers and newborns.
According to her, the course covers advanced techniques and best practices for managing obstetric and neonatal emergencies, directly contributing to improved healthcare delivery.
The project, according to her, is funded through the Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP), supported by the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
It is managed by the Tropical Health and Education Trust (@THETlinks) for the benefit of the UK and partner country health sectors. (NAN)