Nineteen persons on Saturday graduated from the Community Health Workers’ Training Programme in Bartica, Region Seven.
The event was hosted at the Maternal and Child Health Clinic.
This programme was a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Seven. The five-month training programme commenced on April 11, 2022.
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, while congratulating the graduating batch, encouraged them to continue improving in the health profession, as there will always be something new to discover.
“What we don’t want is for people to come into the sector and stagnate. With this programme, it is great. You’ve passed and you’re doing well. But now, you have to gain some experience. When you gain those experience, we hope that you’ll start thinking about the next step. What else would you like to do in health? And once, you start thinking about those next steps, we’ll be there to facilitate you so that you could grow and develop,” the minister stated.
Dr Anthony urged the graduating class to use the knowledge gained to better serve their communities.
“One of the things that we’re doing at the Ministry of Health is that we’d like to see more trained professionals. And you would notice that we’re not having these classes where you have to travel to Georgetown. But instead, we’re bringing the tutors to you, so that you could be trained right in the region,” Minister Anthony highlighted.
The minister further noted that this initiative has made a ‘tremendous difference’ as more persons are applying to be a part of the programme, since the training is closer to home and the same quality of teaching is being provided.
Regional Health Officer, Dr Edward Sagala encouraged the graduating class to always provide quality service within their communities. Dr Sagala advised the graduates to seek help when they have doubts about an issue.
Deputy Director, Health Sciences Education, Chandroutie Persaud encouraged them to be agents of change within their communities. She noted, “Today marks the pinnacle of your efforts. You’re now qualified to be a part of an extended team of healthcare workers with one common goal and that goal is to improve access to public health in your communities…Becoming a community health worker is not only a job but should be viewed as an honour to help your community to become more health conscious. You would be their go to person.”
Meanwhile, Health Education Officer, Petal Gordon noted that this is the third batch of decentralised community health workers trained in the region, however, this was the first time that the revised curriculum was used in that region.
“The revised curriculum consisted of two phases, a community phase (health centre attachment) and a classroom phase,” she stated.
Valedictorian, Rattena Mohamed encouraged her fellow graduates to strive for greatness, be proud of their accomplishments and be an inspiration to others.
Basic anatomy and physiology, English, disease surveillance, vector control, common illnesses, nutrition, first aid, maternal and child health and integrated management of childhood illnesses are some of the areas covered during the programme.
There were six distinctions, 12 credits and one pass. The initiative is part of the government’s plan to improve primary health care services across the country.
Presidential Representative of Region Seven, Erwin Ward, tutors, and staff of the Health Science Education division also attended the ceremony.