By CHARLES IWUOHA

A USAID-funded organization, Health Workforce Management Activity, Tuesday, donated teaching aids worth millions of naira to two health institutions in Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria.

The health institutions are the College of Health Sciences, Ngbo in Ohaukwu local government area of the state and the College of Nursing and Midwifery, Mater Hospital, Afikpo, Afikpo North local government area.

Speaking during the presentation of the teaching aids, State Human Resources for Health Coordinator of the organization, Pharmacist Uche Ebenezer, said the aim was to help the schools improve the quality of training of the students.

She said the state health system is having challenges regarding human resources for health which according to her was not peculiar to Ebonyi and that Covid-19 has exposed the need for a lot more health workers in the health system.

According to her, Health Workforce Management Activity is funded by USAID, with a major objective to ensure that the state establishes a cost-effective, well-trained health workforce in remote and rural areas.

“So, what we want to do in this activity is to ensure that these health workers are well trained.

“We are looking at the quality of the health workforce and the quantity of the health workforce. So, the teaching aids have been donated to these health institutions; College of Health Sciences, Ngbo and College of Nursing and Midwifery, Mater Hospital, Afikpo, to help them improve the quality of training of the students who are the future health workforce and also help improve the processes the tutors go through,” she said.

Ebenezer said the organization hopes that the teaching aids would help the students to have practical experience when they go for clinical training in established hospitals and primary health centers.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezuruike, who received the teaching aids, commended USAID for all the live-touching projects they have been doing in the state.

He said the Health Workforce Management Activity has been very outstanding in bridging all the gaps in the health sector.

Mr. Stephen Nwakpuma, Principal, School of Health Sciences, Ngbo and his Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Afikpo, Ogodo luke, in their remarks, commended USAID Nigeria Health Workforce Management for contributing to human development and assured that the teaching aids would be judiciously utilized.

Some of the Items donated to the schools included the Planceta model, vulva, chart, Eye model, Antishock garment, breast model, kidney model, heart model, teeth model, liver model, Adult skull, Lungs and laptops, among others.