Region One holds CHW training to improve maternal, child health services

Barima-Waini (Region One), Regional Administration is offering a two- year maternal and child
health training programme to Community Health Workers (CHWs), geared at providing quality
health care to pregnant women in the region.
Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley disclosed that the administration is answering the pleas of
pregnant mothers, who had to go out of the region for the specialised care. He said that the
service will  also form part of government’s efforts to achieve zero maternal deaths, in keeping
with the goals set out by the United Nations. It will also improve primary health care services in
that hinterland region. “We have heard as a region, the cry of the communities, not only at Santa
Rosa, but across Moruca of what our mothers face when they go to Region Two at Suddie or
Charity, and so our government, being a visionary government, has put sufficient resources in
place to have the infrastructure and also the human resource in place to deal with this particular
issue,” the Regional Chairman said.
Ashley explained that the regional administration will soon be churning out more qualified
medical staff from several training programmes. He pointed out that the region, in 2021, had
received its very first training centre at Central Mabaruma for persons interested in becoming
CHWs. He disclosed that the facility has two furnished classrooms, one smart classroom,
administrative office space, air conditioning, as well as a furnished sitting area.
“We are hoping that training programmes will move on from us training our nurses or what we
call registered nurses. We would also be training midwives right in the region in the forthcoming
future. Also we will be training laboratory technicians, environment health assistants and other
career paths in health right here in the region,” RC Ashley said. The RC declared that the
region’s health sector has seen significant improvement. The chairman said this was due to the
holistic approach and determination  to provide equal access to government services.