Capacity Development

The challenge

Different methods and improved skills are required for primary health professionals to offer person-centred, higher quality care in the field of mother-child health. 

The approach

Successful introduction of new approaches and new models of care must go beyond guidelines, standards and protocols. Developing new skills, transforming mindsets and promoting multidisciplinary teams  are crucial. These aspects will be the enabling factors for health professionals to implement person centred care and to improve the quality of the services provided. We work with the Ministry of Health in the revision the scope of roles and responsibilities, job descriptions for nurses, midwives and doctors introduction of new professions such as social workers at the PHC level, to incorporate the principles of person-centred care in practice.

We need to be dynamic and responsive to the changes occurring within healthcare. As we move away from traditional models, the staff roles and responsibilities that have always accompanied these models must also adapt. Task-shifting has been shown extensively within maternal health setting to improve the availability of competent healthcare providers, optimising the skill-mix and ultimately increasing patient access to high quality care that matches their needs. There is growing evidence to support task shifting at the PHC level and our project will be working with pilot facilities on this, including facilitation of training for staff members taking on new tasks within this framework of task-shifting.