The Federal government has initiated a redesign of the Community Health Workers (CHW) program to foster a more inclusive approach to their roles and work ethics, the Executive Director (ED) of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Muyi Aina, has revealed.
Aina said the move became imperative considering that the Community health workers not only play a vital role in demand generation, basic service provision, health education, and preventive services but also act as a bridge, linking community members to healthcare facilities when necessary.
According to him, the newly redesigned engagement module for CHWs is set to be unveiled by the end of July, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Aina, delivering his keynote address at the Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator Knowledge Sharing and Learning Exchange on CHW Programs in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries in Abuja on Wednesday, emphasized the invaluable role of CHWs in achieving the country’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals, prompting closer government scrutiny of their activities.
Represented at the workshop organized by Results for Development ( R4D) in collaboration with NPHCDA and other partners, by Ngozi Nwosu, the Director of Primary Health Care Systems Development NPHCDA, Aina said, “The NPHCDA has been actively redesigning the community health program to address current challenges and optimize the workforce.
“Traditionally, the program relied on CHIPS agents—lay persons without formal healthcare training. However, the agency is now shifting toward a blended model, integrating both trained community health practitioners and lay persons selected by their communities.
“Many of our trained community health practitioners are currently unemployed,” Dr. Mosu noted. Our redesign aims to engage these qualified individuals while also utilizing laypeople in areas where trained workers are scarce”.
He said one of the significant challenges has been the inadequate compensation of CHWs. Previously, they received a mere stipend of N5,000 per month, which he acknowledged as unsustainable.
“To build a sustainable program, we must offer adequate remuneration to keep these workers motivated and committed,” he noted.
The redesigned program aims to create a sustainable and effective community health workforce that can prevent infections, ensure timely referrals to healthcare facilities, and ultimately improve health outcomes across Nigeria, he added
Felix Obi, the Country Manager and Program Director for R4D, emphasized the importance of prioritizing community health, adding that many countries have realized that relying solely on hospital and clinic-based health workers is insufficient.
According to him, R4D conducted a review of several low and medium-income countries to understand how they tackle community healthcare challenges and aimed at providing evidence that can help Nigeria redesign its community health workforce program.
He said countries like Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia were studied to gather insights on recruitment, training, and payment of CHWs.
Noting that CHWs are essential for delivering healthcare services in rural and underserved areas, Obi, added, “The community is where we all belong. To achieve the UHC, we need to take healthcare services to the people at the community level.
“They work in villages, far from city centers where primary healthcare facilities are scarce. Despite being volunteers, CHWs should not be treated as insignificant.
“It’s important that we recruit the right people, train them, and pay them a living wage to motivate them to continue their critical work.
“The government needs to prioritize funding for these activities to ensure sustainability. Globally, efforts to achieve universal health coverage have highlighted the need for community-level healthcare” .
Linda Vanotoo, Senior Program Director at R4D, provided additional insights into the program’s international context, saying that the organization conducted reviews on how community health workers are recruited, trained, and financed, as well as the role of digital innovation.
She said their findings highlight best practices and innovative financing methods that other countries can learn from, adding that sharing the insights at the conference allowed different countries to learn from each other’s successes and challenges.
“We believe that by learning from each other’s experiences, we can avoid repeating mistakes and adopt practices that have proven effective,” she added.
