The Ogun State Primary Health Care Development Board has adopted the Task Shifting/Task Sharing Policy to address shortage of skilled health providers across its Primary Health Care Centres.
State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye made this known at the unveiling of a document on task shifting/sharing policy for essential healthcare services delivery in the state, held at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
Ipaye said government had taken the step in collaboration with Pathfinder International towards improving the health indicators to meet national and global expectations on Universal Health Coverage (UCH) in the State.
The Commissioner said it was necessary to spell out the specific task and responsibilities to be shifted from highly qualified medical personnel to the lower ones and offer opportunities to train the less qualified health workers to acquire competence on the task to be shifted.
In his address, Acting Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr. Elijah Ogunsola, hinted that the decision was in line with the approval and recommendations of the 57th National Council on Health aimed at reducing mortality and morbidity rates across health centres in the State.
In his remarks, Country Representative, Pathfinder International, Dr. Farouk Jega, explained that the arrangement would bridge the gap created by uneven distribution of health workers, migration effects and low productivity of the workforce in the health sector.