The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have strengthened Benue State’s response to gender based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive healthcare by training frontline health workers to improve services for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable populations.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the international organisations, in collaboration with the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services and with support from the Royal Heritage Health Foundation (RHHF), trained 30 frontline healthcare workers on clinical management of rape, mental health, sexual and reproductive health in emergencies, and protection of vulnerable groups.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the WHO State Coordinator, Dr Abdulmalik Mohammed, said the programme was designed to improve access to quality healthcare services for IDPs and communities affected by humanitarian crises.
He described the training as a critical intervention aimed at addressing the health and psychosocial needs of displaced persons, adding that participants drawn from 15 healthcare facilities had acquired the practical knowledge and skills needed to provide quality services on gender based violence, mental health and reproductive healthcare.
Mohammed explained that the training built on previous capacity building efforts across the participating facilities and would enhance access to quality healthcare for vulnerable populations, particularly internally displaced persons.
He also disclosed that UNFPA supported the initiative by providing reproductive health kits containing essential medicines, medical consumables and equipment required for effective service delivery.
According to him, the emergency kits will enable healthcare facilities to deliver comprehensive reproductive healthcare services and ensure that women receive timely and quality medical attention.
The Lead Facilitator, Dr Dalandi Idrissa, said participants were selected from primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities, as well as agencies coordinating emergency health responses across Benue State.
He explained that priority was given to facilities serving communities with large numbers of internally displaced persons.
Idrissa described the reproductive health kits as globally standardised emergency supplies designed to bridge service delivery gaps during humanitarian emergencies.
He said the kits contain clean delivery kits, family planning commodities, rape treatment kits, sexually transmitted infections management supplies, obstetric equipment, surgical materials, blood transfusion supplies, anaesthetics and other essential medicines.
According to him, the supplies are intended to complement existing healthcare services disrupted by displacement and increased demand in affected communities.
He added that the training has equipped participants with the skills to identify and manage cases of intimate partner violence, sexual violence and other forms of gender based violence while ensuring that complicated cases are promptly referred for specialised care.
The Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche, commended UNFPA, WHO and the Royal Heritage Health Foundation for sponsoring the five day capacity building programme at no cost to participants.
Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Cephas Hough, Ogwuche said the training would strengthen healthcare delivery across the state by improving the competence of frontline health workers.
He urged participants to share the knowledge and skills acquired with colleagues in their respective healthcare facilities to ensure wider impact and sustained quality healthcare services.
Ogwuche also expressed appreciation to the development partners for their continued support to Benue State’s health sector.
One of the participants, Dr William Terzungwe of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), described the training as highly impactful, saying it had enhanced his professional knowledge and strengthened his capacity to manage survivors of rape and intimate partner violence.
He pledged to transfer the knowledge gained to his colleagues, expressing confidence that the training would significantly improve healthcare services for vulnerable populations across the state.
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