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Doris Obinna
In its bid to foster qualitative health care delivery and increase patients’ utilisation of efficient and affordable health services, the Lagos State government said trained 825 health workers on personal and work etiquette as well as professional core values.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Health, Dr. Titilayo Goncalves, said participants at a capacity training, which held in Ikeja, consist of core health workers and other professionals in the health sector, who were drawn from primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities. They are also from departments of the State Ministry of Health, Health Service Commission and Primary Health Care Board.
She said: “Although nurses formed the bulk of the participants, other core health workers, like doctors, pharmacists, laboratory technicians and professionals working in the health sector, including engineers, accountants, administrative, human resource officers and public affairs officers, among others, were trained.”
Goncalves, while explaining the rationale for the training, said the state government, through the Ministry of Health, has been inundated with complaints and reports from patients and the public over 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, whose 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,” the Permanent Secretary said.
She noted that the training was held for 13 days with 66 participants undergoing sessions on values, empathy, client or customer satisfaction, positive mindset, attitude, courtesies, time management and professionalism daily.
While noting that the 825 participants were expected to cascade the training to other cadres of staff in their facilities and offices, Goncalves tasked health workers in the state 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.
The Permanent Secretary said patient-centred care was an essential tool for improving the quality of health care service in the state.
“Patient centred care involves providing care that is respectful and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions,” she said.
