Abuja, 31 July 2015 - The World Health Organization (WHO), through the DFATD-Canada funded WHO-Human Resource for Health (HRH) Project, officially handed over teaching equipment to health training institutions and scholarships to tutors from Bauchi and Cross River States to support the institutions towards accreditation and establishment of health workforce registries. 

Receiving the items on behalf of the two states, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health Mr Linus Awute pointed out that “the procured items and scholarships will go a long way in enhancing quality of training and maintaining accreditation standards in the two States”.

He further underscored the enablement of the production of competent and highly skilled frontline health workers and the improvement of health services delivery in both Bauchi and Cross River States as a result of the gesture.

Mr Awute encouraged the 26 tutors (13 females and 13 males) from training institutions in Bauchi and Cross River States given the WHO scholarships to maximize the opportunity towards improving the quality of service delivery in the two states.  He thanked both WHO and the Canadian Government for the significant progress being made since commencement of the project a year ago.

Dr Rex Mpazanje who represented the WHO Country Representative at the event indicated that notable progress had been made in areas of creating the health work force registry, establishment of human resource and gender desks within state ministries of health as well as in strengthening the health training institutions towards accreditation. He further highlighted that the Information Communication Technology equipment, skills laboratory items and books being handed over are geared towards further supporting these activities.

Also speaking at the event Ms. Emily Alexander of DFATD-Canada thanked the Nigerian government, WHO and all other implementation partners for the achievements made during the first year of project implementation. She urged all present to continue the productive collaboration established so that the project will realize its long term set objective of improving health outcomes especially with regard to reduction in maternal, newborn and child mortality.

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For more information, please contact:

Dr Eileen Petit-Mshana;; Tel: +234 807 759 0066; Email: petitmshanae [at] who.int
Dr Mollent Akinyi Okech; Tel: +234 706 631 4825; Email: okechm [at] who.int
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Below:

01  Handing over equipment to one of the states

02 Mr Awute handing over WHO scholarship to one of the benefiting tutors