By Hassan Zaggi
Dressed in their best clothes wearing smiling faces, the health workers filled the hall to capacity at about 12:30pm, for an event slated for 1:30pm.
It was a gathering of health workers at the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) level, who are rarely recognized, appreciated or given awards for outstanding performances.
This is because in most parts of Nigeria, even though health workers at the PHCs level do a lot of work and attend to larger population at both the rural and urban centres, their work is hardly being appreciated and recognized, let alone given any encouragement in the form of award.
However, this was a peculiar day when the Aminu Magashi Garba (AMG) Foundation in collaboration with a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Heroic Discovery and Community Development Centre (HEDCODEC) organised an award ceremony for frontline health workers from Bwari and Gwagwalada Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The award ceremony was funded 100 per cent by the AMG Foundation.
During the ceremony, 10 healthcare workers from the two Area Councils were given awards for outstanding performances and dedication to service. They were given plagues, certificates and some amount of cash.
The award ceremony was part of activities to mark the United Nations Public Service Day.
The award ceremony, according to the organisers, was aimed at celebrating and encouraging the most outstanding healthcare front-liners who have demonstrated and achieved great excellence in their field of endeavour at the PHCs level.
Speaking, the Coordinator of the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) who also doubles as the Chairman of the AMG Foundation, Dr Aminu Magashi Garba, explained that he was earlier pencilled for award by the management of HEDCODEC which he declined and instead, decided that front line healthcare workers at the PHC facility who are ‘unsung heroes,’ should be recognized and encouraged for their service to humanity.
According to Dr Magashi: “The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us so many things.
“During the lock down, I was privileged to go round to see what was happening. We saw the wonderful work health workers at the PHC facility level were doing. The health workers have been exposed to a lot of risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When it started, there was no Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs), many were using whatever comes their way for protection, gradually support started coming from the government and development partners.
“The COVID-19 has changed the way we think to understand that the health workers working at the PHC facility level are very key. Whatever any minister, commissioner or any government appointee can do to ensure that the health workers are properly taken care of should be done.”
While noting that the award ceremony has come to stay as it is going to be an annual event, Dr Magashi disclosed that: “We started with Gwagwalada and Bwari Area Councils, by next year, we hope that all the six area councils will be included.”
He called on well-meaning Nigerians and philanthropists in all parts of the country to pick the idea and celebrate frontline health workers in their states and local governments.
On his part, the Director of HEDCODEC, Kabir Abddulsalam, while commending the AMG Foundation for funding the award ceremony, he explained that: “Our organization, as one of its core objectives, previously planned to present an award to Dr Magashi for his outstanding performance in the humanitarian sector.
“This was later remodelled by the two organizations to become a sustainable mechanism for awarding outstanding front-line health workers in Nigeria who have demonstrated and achieved great excellence in their field of endeavor within Bwari, Gwagwalada Area Councils in Abuja.”
Explaining the process that led to the 10 awardees, he said: “As the median edition, out of 52 Primary Healthcare Centres in Bwari Local council and 33 PHCs in Gwagwalada Local Council, we randomly selected 3 each. We made advocacy and submit awareness letters to the facility for participation.
“We received a total of 64 entries for 5 categories from 6 facilities in Gwagawala and Bwari Area Council FCT.
“38 health care providers were shortlisted, after field data collection by the HEDCODEC award committee, the team was able to review it to 25 finalists before submitting the report to the Panelists after scaled to the final stage as graded based on merit after rigorous scrutiny by the Editorial Committee.”
As expected, a cross section of the awardees interviewed by our Correspondent expressed gratitude to the organisers and pledged to do more at their place of primary assignment for the growth of Nigeria’s health sector.
This is no doubt, a noble initiative that needs to be replicated in all parts of the country.
This, indeed, will give our frontline health workers at the PHC level across the country a sense of belonging and the encouragement to defy all odds and provide services to Nigerians.
It is relevant to also call on health workers in the country to be more professional in their dealings with patients at the PHC level. A situation where health workers harass, intimidate that abandon patients at the PHC facility should discouraged.
