By Gabriel Ameh, The Sight News
The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the development of Geriatric Social Care Skills Qualification and Care Quality Assurance, and Regulatory Systems for Geriatric Social Care Sector
The signing took place in Abuja, at the end of a 2-day National Workshop on the development of older persons care quality assurance policy guidelines and regulatory framework organized by the NSCC in partnership with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Speaking at the event, the Director General of the NSCC Dr. Emem Omokaro, disclosed that special innovation and sustainable intervention to accelerate the older persons inclusion and social assistance program in the country has introduced geriatric care into the National primary health care system including building capacity of health workers and caregivers for major support programs and services.
Dr. Omakaro stated that care quality assurance for geriatric care programs takes a multi-sectoral and systematic approach to creating an environment where care settings and activities follow specified methods and criteria.
She noted that standards will be managed, evaluated and regulated to ensure optimizing of care quality and minimizing, if not eliminating, the harm and abuse of rights of older persons with better health and social care outcomes.
According to her, “The purpose of the NSCC-UNDESA workshop is to integrate care quality standards in practice, processes, procedures and measurements in line with international best practice, into an overarching national policy guidelines and regulatory framework on geriatric social care”.
Furthermore, she stated that the NSCC care quality assurance program consists of a collection of projects including; development of benchmark and minimum standards for training and certifying care givers; development of standards for accrediting care facilities/Agencies, training centers and training providers; development of caregivers, agency registration portals; engaging discussion with relevant agencies’ innovation and social insurance for long term care.
Dr. Omokaro added that the expected outcome of the workshop is a consolidation of frameworks and standard operational procedures to improve quality of care and well being of older persons and their caregivers, while opening up enormous job creation opportunities in the care industry sub sector in Nigeria.
Also speaking at the workshop, the Executive Secretary of NBTE. Prof Idris M. Bugaje, who stated that the MoU signing between NBTE and NSCC will facilitate quality education and quality assurance in the area of skills for caregivers, added that caregiving should be seen as an Institute and a qualified profession.
He stated that traditional people who understand caregiving should be given proper certification so that they can also be exported out of Nigeria as skilled workers.
.
