Kano Benefits From TSTS Policy In Reducing Maternal Mortality Rate- Dr Labaran

Kano State government has assured its commitments to sustain the full implementation of Task Shifting Task Sharing Policy in the state.

The state Commissioner for Health Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf stated this during Task Shifting Task Sharing Policy Dissemination, investment closeout and Transition to state ownership held in Kano.

He said the policy is going to be disseminated to Kano State government is not closing, it is a system transfer to the state.

Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf also said, Task Shifting Task Sharing Policy is very well articulated and Kano state government decided to disseminate the policy.

According to the Commissioner, human resources personnel in the health sector challenge is a global issue not in Kano or Nigeria but everywhere in the world, that why TSTS Policy became necessary.

” We are ready to sustain the policy especially for the benefit of the teeming populace in the state. We have started and done a lot in that regard.” The Commissioner said

Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf pointed out that, within the last Two years of the policy Kano state government benefits a lot from the Programme.

” We have seen the advantage of Task Shifting Task Sharing Policy in the state especially in reducing the high rate of Maternal Mortality. We came in 2023, the state Maternal Mortality rate was 126 out of 100,000 but as am taking now through the efforts of the state, federal and Local Government Maternal Mortality rate has dropped from 300 to 370.” The Commissioner added

The Commissioner further said the state now became zero polio this is because there is no any polio case 15 months ago.

” We have seen the increasing of the percentage of Fully Immunized children in Kano State in the last Two years. With regards to human resources for Health, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf approved the employment for 2,037 human resources personnel in the health sector which are now in the process of documentation.” The Commissioner said

Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf on behalf of Kano State government thanked the state partners especially Pathfinder international in collaboration with impact catalyst in ensuring the Task Shifting Task Sharing Policy document is fully practise in the state.

Speaking earlier, the managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer impact catalyst Dr Isma’il Ahmad said about Two years ago impact catalyst in partnership with Pathfinder international got some funding from the Gate Foundation to implement Task Shifting Task Sharing policy in Kano and Kaduna States.

Dr Isma’il Ahmad also said within the last Two years impact catalyst working closely with Kano state government through state ministry for Health and primary healthcare management board en ensuring the TSTS Policy be implemented.

” Most of our primary healthcare centers especially in the rural area is hardly to see Doctors, Nurses and Midwives. Because of that we want to access to people at the primary healthcare level, government put to review those policies and do what is called TSTS Policy to bring those tasks to allow the community healthcare workers to implement. We have trained those health workers and monitored them.” Dr Isma’il Ahmad said

The impact catalyst managing Partner pointed out that they took 145 healthcare facilities in Kano State while they took 126 healthcare facilities in Kaduna State.

” We trained some community healthcare extension workers, we trained them on specific skills so as to reduce maternal Mortality rate and to uptake the Family Planning services, allow good access to quality healthcare services to the people especially in the primary healthcare level.” Dr Isma’il Ahmad added

In her remark, the country Director Pathfinder international Dr Amina Aminu Dorayi said the event is not mean to end but it also the beginning.

” Following this Dissemination it is not the end but it is actually the beginning. As we handing over the activities to the Kano state government we hope they will continue to take responsibility and ownership in order to sustain the activities.” Dr Amina Dorayi Urged

” For us we implemented in number of health facilities,we supported the community healthcare extension workers to now became more capable of handling issues that come to them in saving the lives and improving the health outcomes in our community.” Dr Amina Dorayi pointed out

According to country Director Pathfinder Dr Amina Aminu Dorayi the number of community healthcare extension workers CHEWs that are now equipt with the skills and capacity to provide high quality maternal newborn child services has increased.

” Human resources especially in the rural areas and their training were not adequately enough, all the services were supposed to provide was low Mortality rate was so high, but now you can say the Data shows that we have improved.” Dr Amina Aminu Dorayi added

In their Separate goodwill massages, the representatives of Federal ministry of Health Dr Adeyesi Okonko, world Health Organization WHO Dr Abubakar Sunusi Mayana National Primary Healthcare Management Agency, society for family Health SFH commended impact catalyst and Pathfinder international for this initiative and whishes for the sustainability in the state so as to improve the Healthcare Delivery especially in the rural communities.

While Delivering the closing remarks, the Director General Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board Professor Salisu Ahmad Ibrahim assured Kano state government readiness for the sustainability of the policy across the 44 local government areas of the state.

” Let me tell you that, this policy is inline with Kano state government commitments for the improvement of healthcare delivery not only in Secondary facilities but also in all Primary Healthcare facilities across the 44 local government areas of the state. Professor Salisu Ahmad Ibrahim emphasised

The national Task Shifting Task Sharing policy issued in 2014 and revised in 2022, provides a framework for safely redistributing select responsibilities across Health Workers Cadres.

In 2024 , Kano state with the support from impact catalyst and Pathfinder international implemented TSTS Policy across 145 Primary Healthcare facilities in 26 Local Government areas combining competency-based training, structured clinical mentorship, supportive supervision, routine data review and quality improvement.