Health Workers From Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana to Get £15 Million Funding From UK
- Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana will benefit from the £15 million funding from UK for health improvement
- The countries were chosen based on the high rate of population mortality, and poor staffing levels among other social issues
- The funding is geared towards achieving universal health coverage
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Three African countries, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana have been selected to receive £15 million from the United Kingdom (UK) to support healthcare staff recruitment and retention.
The commitment is part of the ring-fenced Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget for 2022 to 2025 and is geared towards optimising, building and strengthening the health workforce in the three African countries.
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Legit.ng earlier reported that the UK grants about 132,000 visas in the first six months of 2023, an increase from the 324,000 issued in 2022.
The UK recently announced that Nigerians and other citizens, except British and Irish nationals, wishing to enter the country must apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
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The funding is committed to better healthcare in selected countries
According to the report, the funding supplements the £5 million already committed as part of the Building the Future International Workforce ODA programme in Ghana, Uganda, and Somaliland.
The programme aims to enhance workforce planning and management, offer training opportunities for refugees and internally displaced people, and connect NHS institutions with national health institutions.
Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana were chosen for the ODA grant due to their high rates of population mortality, inadequate staffing levels, and high rates of unemployment among their trained health personnel.
In recognition of the importance of the health workforce in lower and middle-income countries for improving health outcomes and achieving universal health coverage, the financing will give people in a few selected countries access to the full spectrum of health services they need and when they need it.
Health Minister Will Quince said:
Highly skilled, resilient staff are the backbone of a strong health service, so I’m delighted we can support the training, recruitment and retention of skilled health workforces in Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.
This funding aims to make a real difference in strengthening the performance of health systems in each of the participating countries, which will have a knock-on effect on boosting global pandemic preparedness and reducing health inequalities.
The pandemic showed us that patients in the UK are not safe unless the world as a whole is resilient against health threats, and this will help us in delivering on that ambition.
How the funding will be utilised
WHO will use the £6 million pounds in ODA funding promised to support the delivery of health workforce planning and capacity-building initiatives, including improved administrative systems, training and retention opportunities, in collaboration with local governments and stakeholders in the health system.
A not-for-profit organisation will manage the delivery of partnership work in participating nations through a £9 million, two-year competitive grant initiative that will be administered by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) has received grant as part of the £15 million Global Health Workforce Programme, according to a recent announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care.
The THET will be in charge of organising, funding, and managing this partnership's efforts to increase the calibre and retention of healthcare professionals in the three nations and, eventually, to contribute to better patient outcomes.
Nigerian doctors "Japa" to Sierra Leone, other African countries to earn three times more
With countries like Sierra Leone and the Gambia offering much greater pay, up to $4000, there are concerns about the departure of Nigerian doctors of medicine and other healthcare professionals to other African countries.
Appearing before the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee looking into racketeering in Federal Government agencies, Emem Bassey, Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, observed this growing practise.
Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) earlier expressed worry about the surging migration pressure on Nigeria’s healthcare system. According to reports, a few over 9,000 medical doctors are left in the country.
Source: Legit.ng
