BACKGROUND
The State Emergency Maternal and Child Health Intervention Centre (SEMCHIC) as a brain child of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NEMCHIC) was inaugurated on 11/11/2019 with one (1) program manager (PM), two (2) Deputy Program managers (DPMs) and one (1) Desk officer appointed to coordinate Reproduction Health, Maternal Newborn child and Adolescent Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) activities in the state.
SEMCHIC OPERATION:
SEMCHIC operate under the Executive Secretary (ES) State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) /Director Community Health (DCH) Director Planning, Research & statistics (DPRS), Program coordinator Basic Health Care Provision Fund and Program Manager (PM) SEMCHIC.
ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED
- Recruitment of Midwives;
In the continued effort of the NPHCDA to reduce the ugly maternal and infant morbidity and mortality indices through the midwives intervention (REWSBA). The management of the TSPHCDA under BHCPF advertised for the position of registered midwives (retired & fresh female graduates) and received applications accordingly.
Ten (10) member interview Committee was also inaugurated to interview all the short listed applicants and the interview lasted for six days 21st-25th June, 2021 and 9th July. 2021 respectively with the following outcome;
| S/N | TARGET | SHORTLISTED | REGISTERED /MIDWIVES INTERVIEWED (RM) | REGISTERED NURSES INTERVIEWED RN. | Total |
| 1 | 128 | 135 | 76 | 28 | 104 |
- Orientation of successful Midwives;
Five days orientation was organized for a total of One hundred and four (104) midwives from August 2021 to date with the presence of National Facilitator /state Facilitators and other state officials from the Agency.
- Deployment and payment Stipends for midwives;
One hundersd (104) Midwives engaged, oriented and posted to one hunderd and four (104) PHCC across the sixteen (16) LGAs in the state and were paid stipends of thirty thousand and (#30000) naira each but along the way thirty (30) declined. Currently the state has seventy five (75) Midwives working at the PHCCs. BHCPF has paid the total sum of seven million, eight hundred and ninethy thousand naira (#7,890,000) only.
| S/N | LGA | NO OF HFs | NO OF HFs WITH MIDWIVES | SHORT-FOLLOWS |
| 1 | ARDOKOLA | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| 2 | BALI | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | DONGA | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | GASHAKA | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | GASSOL | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| 6 | IBI | 9 | 4 | 5 |
| 7 | JALINGO | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| 8 | KARIM-LAMIDO | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| 9 | KURMI | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | LAU | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 11 | SARDAUNA | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| 12 | TAKUM | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| 13 | USSA | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 | WUKARI | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 15 | YORRO | 11 | 9 | 3 |
| 16 | ZING | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 128 | 75 | 53 | |
Challenges/Observations
- The targeted number of midwives was not attained which was observed to be due to the low turnout of applicants occasioned by the scarcity of the required personnel (midwives) despite inviting qualified applicants from neighbouring states.
- Registered Female Nurses were also interviewed in view of the obvious inadequate number of midwives.
- The number of registered midwives and nurses combined did not still meet the target of the program.
- Not all the 135 applicants interviewed and 104 were considered suitable for the expected task but onlyb75 are available at the facilities.
Way Forward /Recommendations
In view of the present predicament of required manpower shortage, SEMCHIC wishes to seek and implore your approval for the following:
- That other cadre of medical personnel like trained and experienced Community Health Extension workers (CHEWS) be allowed to be interviewed and engaged /trained on MLSS to bridge the manifest gap on requirement.