Lagos Trains 825 Health Workers On Attitudinal Change

•Urges Workers To Embrace Core Professional Values

Chioma Umeha

The Lagos State Government said it has commenced the training of no fewer than 825 health workers on personal and work etiquette as well as professional core values.

According to the state Government, the new move is to ensure qualitative healthcare service delivery and increase patients’ utilisation of efficient and affordable health services in all State-owned health facilities.

A statement signed by Adeola Salako, Director, Public Affair, said that Dr. Titilayo Goncalves, the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Health, made this known recently while addressing participants at one of the sessions of the capacity training held at Ikeja.

Goncalves noted that the 825 health workers consist of core professionals in the senior management cadre, the statement said.

She said they were selected from primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities as well as departments of the State Ministry of Health, Health Service Commission and Primary Health Care Board.

The Permanent Secretary said; “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 officer, public affairs officers amongst others are also being trained”.

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”, the Permanent Secretary said.

She noted that the training which started on Monday 27th of May, 2019 will be held daily for thirteen 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 among others.

While noting that the 825 participants are expected to cascade the training to other cadres of staff in their facilities and offices, Goncalves tasked health workers in the State health sector on the need to embrace the core values and ethics of their profession in the care of patients.

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