The first 28 days of life referred to as the neonatal period is a critical period for the survival of the child.  In Nigeria, approximately a quarter of the estimated one million children who die before the age of five years do so in this neonatal period.  Indeed every day, about 700 newborn babies die, the highest number in Africa and the third highest in the world.    Hitherto, care of the newborn/neonate is an aspect of child survival that has received limited attention. The situation is tragic especially as most of these babies die due to mainly preventable treatable causes such as birth asphyxia, infections and prematurity.   The present situation informs that if we do not re strategize to arrest the trend and substantially reduce newborn mortality, Nigeria will not attain the SDG 3.2. Most of these young lives can be saved with existing cost effective and efficient interventions, possible even in hard to reach areas through the existing health system.  However, coverage is extremely low, even much lower than in most other African countries.

 

In order to support Nigeria in the achievement of the 100,000 babies initiative related to new-born in Northern Nigeria, a 2 year new-born health programme is being implemented with support from Johnson and Johnson in Igabi LGA of Kaduna state in Nigeria. The project seeks to contribute towards the reduction of neonatal morbidity and mortality in Kaduna state.

 

Essential New-born Care:

An unacceptable number of babies around the world die in the first week of life with the highest number dying within the first 24 hours of birth. Many of these deaths occur to babies born too early and too small, or with infections, or to babies asphyxiated around the time of delivery. Studies have shown that many newborn lives can be saved by the use of simple low technological interventions. Interventions such as: supporting breastfeeding; providing adequate warmth; ensuring good hygiene and cord care; recognizing early signs of danger and providing prompt treatment and referral; giving extra care to small babies and having skilled health workers attend mothers and babies at delivery and in the immediate post-partum period - can all increase a newborn babies chances of survival.

 

The Essential Newborn Care Course aims to ensure health workers have the skills and knowledge to provide appropriate care at the most vulnerable period in a baby’s life. Health workers are taught to use the ‘Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum and Newborn Care: A Guide for essential practice’ and particularly the sections concerned with newborn care which provides up-to-date evidence based information and management of babies with a range of needs in the initial newborn period.

 

To reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity, the practices of health workers and others caring for new-born babies must be improved. This can be achieved by training skilled birth attendants in essential new-born care practices, and new-born resuscitation who in turn will improve the skills of those caring for babies and children less than five years in the early postpartum period and beyond. 

 

Click HERE to Apply

 

Purpose of Assignment

To improve care for new-born babies it is essential to improve quality of care available currently at the primary and secondary levels of care in Igabi LGA through training of medical doctors, midwives and community health extension workers on the Essential newborn care course. A National consultant in -country will be engaged to direct the training and ensure quality. S/He will be supported by five facilitators to ensure participants have adequate skills exposure.

 

Methodology

The consultant working with other facilitators would direct:  

A Four (4) day training for Nurses, Midwives and doctors across the project supported facilities on the Full ENCC curriculum – HBB, ECEB, ECSB, Clinical sessions and Video . 

A three (3) day training for CHEWs on the Modified ENCC – HBB, ECEB and ECSB – 3 batches of training will be conducted. The training will be structured to ensure that health workers do not vacate the facilities thereby disrupting service provision

 

The training would involve both lectures and skills training using adult learning methodologies

 

Tasks

Conduct a planning meeting with facilitators

Conduct the training

Discuss recommendations for the conduct of post training follow up visits based on pre and post test results and develop a follow up plan for the trainees

Carry out post training follow up visits to trainees as per follow up plan developed after the training

Debriefing at the LGA and state level with the RH Coordinator

Report writing

 

Expected outputs

Training Report – draft and final

Post training follow up plan

Post training follow up visit report

Final consultancy repo4

 

Type of Consultants Required:

National consultants from the pool of trained TOTs, with expertise and experience in managing neonates in hospitals in ENC and skills in Helping Babies Breathe will be required. This training will be conducted for 100 participants. 1 national consultant will be supported during each batch of training by 5 facilitators. This is to ensure the quality of the training (as this is mainly a hands-on training that involves several practical sessions)

Expertise in ENC and public health programming

Experienced trainer

Extensive experience in the health sector in (experience in  Nigeria would be an added advantage)

Familiarity with health system strengthening approaches to health development.

 

Timing of Consultancy

February 20th – May 31st 2017