Unaccompanied and separated Syrian refugee children: case study of a new feature for social work practice in Jordan

While Jordan has hosted many refugees within its borders over the past 70 years, the recent influx of Syrian refugees has significantly increased pressure on an already fragile economic and social landscape. The Jordan Response Plan to Syrian Refugees advocates for emergency response that meets the basic needs of refugees alongside long-term capacity building of Jordanian services and infrastructure; with the Protection Working Group (an inter-agency working group with sub groups on child protection, gender-based violence and mental health) specifically advocating for more social workers. While the role of social workers in working with refugees is relatively well established in destination countries (such as the United States, Canada, Australia, parts of Europe), it is less well established in neighbouring and transition countries – countries which are the ‘first’ responders and host the bulk of refugees. By describing a case study on the role of social workers in a foster care programme for unaccompanied and separated Syrian refugee children in Jordan, we establish the contribution that social workers can make to the multi-disciplinary team to improve the short and long-term well-being of refugees. The paper concludes with a number of policy recommendations

Strengthening Bauchi State College of Nursing and Midwifery by updating its training curricula, procedure manuals and student handbooks

Many of Nigeria’s Nursing and Midwifery schools and colleges encounter challenges that include outdated training curricula, which can lead, in some cases, to loss of accreditation. In Bauchi state, a state College of Nursing and Midwifery was formally established in 2013. The Population Council engaged a curriculum expert who had worked with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (which stipulates minimum standards of compliance for accreditation) to assess the school’s training documents, including its training curriculum, procedure manual, and student handbook. The school is expected to secure full accreditation in 2019. The Population Council also supported the strengthening of the curriculum review committee, which now meets regularly to discuss both tutor and student recommendations on use of the new materials

Collaboration with the University of Calabar for human resources for health management training for Bauchi and Cross River states

A pool of knowledgeable staff is required within middle and senior management for long-term human resources for health (HRH) planning and effective management at all levels of the health system—federal, state, and local. This brief reports on the training by the Population Council, in partnership with the World Health Organization in Nigeria, of 105 key personnel on HRH planning, management, policy dialogue, advocacy, and resourcing for the HRH project “Enhancing the Ability of Frontline Health Workers to Improve Health in Nigeria.” Critical HRH-related capacities were built among key Nigerian health system personnel and managers, most significantly in the states of Bauchi and Cross River and within their local government areas. These efforts should facilitate better long-term HRH planning and management in these areas, hopefully leading to improved health outcomes in these states. In addition, the institutional strengthening of a national center for HRH Training and Education, through the sustainability efforts of the HRH project, will continue to build the capacities of healthcare managers and workers throughout Nigeria

Strengthening in-service training and continuing education (IST/CE) for frontline health workers for Bauchi and Cross River states

This brief details Council efforts to develop effective, and costed, in-service training and continuing education modules for frontline health workers in Bauchi and Cross River states in Nigeria. This project was funded by WHO to aid the training and development of Nigeria\u27s public health worker sector

Population Council\u27s support for Nigeria\u27s third national Human Resources for Health conference and efforts to institutionalize HRH conferences in Nigeria

This project brief describes the Population Council\u27s partnership efforts with public health stakeholders in Nigeria to plan and host a third national conference for provision of necessary and relevant information on critical health issues to health staff and stakeholders throughout Nigeria

Assessment of the Capacity and Availability of Post Abortion Care Resources in Secondary Healthcare Facility-Based Hospital in Kano State

Post-abortion care (PAC) is a global approach towards solving the problem of maternal mortality and morbidity arising from abortion and its related complications. It is designed to manage the complications of abortion and to improve women’s sexual and reproductive health. This study was therefore conducted to assess the capacity of secondary health care facilities within Kano metropolis towards the provision of PAC. An explorative research design was adopted for this study. Results show that; All the first four-components (71%) with an exception of community and service provider partnership were rendered as part of the PAC component and more than half (65%) of the required resources for the provision of PAC were available. It can be concluded that; The capacity toward post-abortion care provision was high and more than half of the required resources for delivering PAC were available. It is recommended that; more health personnel are recruited to enable the facility to incorporate the last component of the PAC, notably community and service provider partnership.&nbsp

Assessment of in-service training and continuing education (IST/CE) for frontline health workers in Bauchi and Cross River states, Nigeria

Training contributes tremendously to the development and sustenance of health workers’ competencies for quality healthcare services. Although Nigeria has a higher stock of human resources for health compared to other African countries, the World Health Organization argues that its distribution is highly skewed toward urban areas. Building and maintaining staff capacities requires continuing professional development through in-service training (IST) and continuing education (CE). This study assesses current IST and CE for health workers in Bauchi and Cross River states to provide evidence to inform policy and planning and improve implementation of capacity-building for health workers in Nigeria

Characteristics of COVID-19 cases and factors associated with their mortality in Katsina State, Nigeria, April-July 2020

Introduction: COVID-19 was first detected in Daura, Katsina State, Nigeria on 4 April 2020. We characterized the cases and outlined factors associated with mortality. Methods: We analysed the COVID-19 data downloaded from Surveillance Outbreak Response, Management and Analysis System between 4 April and 31 July 2020. We defined a case as any person with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test within that period. We described the cases in time, person, and place; calculated the crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for factors associated with mortality. Results: We analysed 744 confirmed cases (median age 35, range 1-90), 73% males and 24 deaths (Case fatality rate 3.2%, Attack rate 8.5/100,000). The outbreak affected 31 districts, started in week 14, peaked in week 26, and is ongoing. Highest proportion of cases in the age groups were 26.7% (184) in 30-39, 21.7% (153) in 20-29 years, and 18.3% (129) in 40-49 years. While the highest case fatality rates in the age groups were 35.7% in 70-79, 33.3% in 80-89 years, and 19.4% in 60-69 years. Factors associated with death were cough (AOR: 9.88, 95% CI: 1.29-75.79), age ≥60 years (AOR: 18.42, 95% CI: 7.48-45.38), and male sex (AOR: 4.4, 95% CI: 0.98-20.12). Conclusion: Male contacts below 40 years carried the burden of COVID-19. Also, persons 60 years and above, with cough have an increased risk of dying from COVID-19. Risk communication should advocate for use of preventive measures, protection of persons 60 years and above, and consideration of cough as a red-flag sign

Investigating the Effect of Varying Tubing Air Concentration during the Descaling of Petroleum Production Tubing using Multiple High-Pressure Nozzles

Despite the continued research effort on erosion behaviour of multiple flat fan nozzles in removing different types of scale deposits from petroleum production tubing, effect of chamber air concentration and nozzles configuration is yet to be given detail consideration. This study, therefore, considers the utilization of multiple high-pressure sprays at different chamber air concentration to enhance the rate of scale removal from petroleum production tubing. Additionally, options of altering chamber air/water ratio and header configurations for more effective scale removal were explored. So also, the relationship of nozzle header arrangement towards the removal of paraffin of different stages of deposition in petroleum production tubing have been studied. Consequently, theselection of chamber air concentration and header configuration (nozzles arrangement) for effective scale removal was found to be governed by the shape and type of the scale deposit. More so, the descaling capacity increases with decrease in number of nozzlesdue to pressure drop effect irrespective of the type or shape of the scale deposit. This novel descaling experiment of utilising 10 MPa injection pressure from 25 mm jetting position averagely removes hollow paraffin deposits that ranges from 44 to 280 g and 34 to 89g of solid shaped paraffin as a result of altering nozzles configuration. Correspondingly, an average removal difference ranging from 48 to 270 g of hollow shaped and 35 to 218 g of solid shaped paraffin depositwas recorded as a result of compressing the chamber pressure by 0.2 MPa and subsequently suctioning it by -0.008 MPa respectively

An assessment of human resources for health hiring, deployment and retention, procedures and practices in Cross river and Bauchi states, Nigeria

Primary health care (PHC) is the first contact in a healthcare system and, at its core, includes access to basic interventions that address health needs at the community level. These basic interventions are provided by key frontline health workers—nurses, midwives, and community health extension workers—critical for facilitating immediate access to maternal, newborn, and child health services at PHC facilities. Despite the critical roles of these healthworker cadres, their distribution is uneven and skewed—geographic and within levels of care and governments, in addition to poor distribution of skills—compounded by high attrition due to poor human resources for health (HRH) management and development. The aim of this study is to examine the HRH hiring, deployment, and retention procedures and practices in Cross River and Bauchi states in Nigeria, to generate evidence to support the development of improved and gender-sensitive hiring and deployment guidelines. The study also provides recommendations for improved HRH planning and management for better service delivery