Mona Lisa Africa
Niger
JUNE 2007
Follow-up visit further to the CEFOREP training
Dr El Hadji Ousseynou from the CEFOREP* based in Senegal, made the second post-training follow-up visit to 6 Nigerian doctors and midwives. As a reminder, this delegation had been constituted in October 2006 by Pr Diouf for the insertion and withdrawal of Intrauterine Devices (IUDs).
The second follow up visit took place from May 21st to June 1st 2007 and was mostly aimed at:
- supervising of training
- focusing on the implementation of Pr Diouf's recommendations
- helping to put in place the structures still needed, to start with the insertion of IUDs
Assessment of the visit
It is to be noted that nationwide, half of the eight recommendations initially made by Pr Diouf during his first visit, have been taken into consideration: the drawing up of a training plan, the implementation of a contraception awareness project, the ordering of contraceptive products, the drawing up of directives of use regarding the free-of-charge contraceptive products.
The next goals to achieve are:
- the financing of a training plan
- the acceptance by people at large of the importance of family planning in some areas (especially in Maradi)
- the order of technical and audiovisual material
We can notice that, locally speaking, the project has been heartily welcomed and that the main health actors were heavily involved in it. Indeed we can mention the Local Management of Public Health, the district head doctors, the health providers plus the UNFPA (United Nations Funds for the Population). Besides, the supply in IUDs has been carried out virtually on all sites.
However, Dr El Hadji Ousseynou highlights a lack of material in some sites. Therefore, the patients have to buy the material themselves (gloves, compresses, syringes, anaesthetics...) and the high cost of it all might unfortunately be an obstacle to the access to contraception. The amount involved in this, varies from anything between 1200 CFA and 4200 CFA which is between 2€ and 6.50€
Nonetheless, given all the training sessions Dr El Hadji Ousseynou attended, it can be said that some trainers have not been sent on a refresher course for 8 years whereas others purely and simply do not have the necessary skills as far as training is concerned. It is also of paramount importance to identify the would-be trainers and to give them the necessary training which is different from the one received by the providers. Furthermore the lack of material support (absence of anatomic models, shortage of pelvic models, audiovisual aids…) reduces the quality of the benefits and in the long term may jeopardize the project's success.
Finally, in high birth-rate areas like Maradi, it is important to put the emphasis on the campaigns of awareness to contraception, to determine the
messages to be delivered to Muslim communities that are often unamenable to contraception.
So, as to increase the contraceptive demand, a symposium led by Pf Kebe on Islam and Family Planning will be translated in national languages and will
then be broadcasted and placed at the disposal of sanitary structures. The 'informal talk' and the counselling on methods of planning also
represent an excellent means of information for women.
As a conclusion, this second post-training mission in Nigeria went smoothly and brought about many enriching lessons and positive topics like the commitment of all the health actors both centrally and operationally speaking. This keen interest has to be enhanced by the implementation of the recommendations so that the continuity of the services may be provided.
* CEFOREP = Research and Training Centre in matters of Health and Reproduction (in French: Centre de Formation et de Recherché en santé de la Reproduction)