By Kemi Olatunde
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In a bid to strengthen the School Health Programme and make it more effective and grassroots oriented, the Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (OSPHCDA), has organised a one-day training programme for school health Programme Officers in the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state
Speaking at the event, Permanent Secretary of the Agency, Dr Francis Adegoke Akanbiemu urged the School Health Programme Officers to be proactive and put in their best in their respective local governments.
He noted that the school health unit is critical to the achievement of the goals of the Primary Health Care system, stating that, that inform the basis of the training which according to him will make them more results oriented.
The Permanent Secretary who hinted that the school health unit was not funded by partners like other units, commended the Agency’s school health Programme Coordinator, Mrs Mercy Bello for her personal efforts and dedication to making the unit functional
According to him, about 47 indigent pupils of primary schools in the state benefited from provision of school uniforms – courtesy of the programme Officer and the Agency earlier in the year.
He therefore assured the local government school health Programme Officers that the Agency will continue to train and provide them with necessary logistics that would make them effective and efficient in their respective local government areas.
In his remark, Director, Medical Services of the Agency, Dr Paulinus Omode said the training was organised to help the Programme Officers on real-time, accurate data collection, collation, analysis and reporting which according to him will attract supports and funding from partners as well as help them in making evidence-based decision.
According to him, an electronic school health assessment data collection tool had been developed by the Agency to help the focal persons collect data seamlessly using ‘kobocollect app’ on their android phones during schools visits and forward same appropriately.
While appreciating the Agency for the wonderful initiative and innovation which he described as the first of its kind in School Health Programmes in Nigeria, he advised the programme officers not to work in isolation but have synergy/collaboration with other health programme officers in their individual local government like immunization, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Sexual and Reproductive health, Nutrition, etc, and also establish good working relationship with the local government primary health care Coordinators and political office holders, to have improved achievements and effectiveness in their activities.
In his goodwill message, the World Health Organization (WHO) State Coordinator, Dr Dele Davies, who was represented by Mr Adewale Adejugbagbe, pledged the support of the organization to the Programme like other units in the health system.
He however appealed to them to develop attitudes of accurate and reliable data generation on health indices to attract funding.
Director of Nursing Services, Mrs Adeyinka Kajero opined that the school health unit caters for the future of the society, noting that the school children are the leader of tomorrow saying “the importance of school health to public health and well-being of the society cannot be overemphasized.”
Speaking on the Objectives of the training, the Coordinator of school health Programme in the Agency, Mrs Mercy Bello said the training was packaged to revitalize school health Programme in the state.
She urged the trainees to pay attention to individual Child whenever they visit schools and provide appropriate health education and interventions for them so as to enable them propagate the health messages received to the larger society.
