Successful Investment In Human Resource To Boost The Health Sector

Recently Orota School of Medicine and Dentistry has graduated 39 doctors, following which the Asmara school of Associate Nurse graduated 416 associate nurses in certificate level and now, on the 23rd of January 2010, the college of Nursing and Health Technology has, in its 9th commencement, graduated 221 specialists as comprehensive nurses and midwives in advanced diploma. With such continued developments, one could easily establish a vivid picture of what the future health care provision in Eritrea would look like.
It has often been reported that Eritrea has gone much further in providing commendable health care services throughout the country. Some health problems have even become issues of the past. The ultimate national objective when it comes to health care in Eritrea is to provide efficient services such that every citizen easily receives the required medical attention.

Though many healthcare centers and referral hospitals have been constructed in different parts of the country, there has been a persistent lack of skilled human resources. Thus, the impact of graduating a number of health specialists in various domains is of the utmost importance in ensuring that the health centers in the country provide quality services.

With the introduction of broader access to education, Eritrea will continue to produce many trained health technicians every year from the various health technology schools. The different nursing colleges in Asmara as well as Mendefera College of Associate Nurse are in deed the embodiment of the ever-improving healthcare services in the country. 

The graduates of Nursing and Health Technology are equipped with a number of nursing fields that include: comprehensive nursing, community health nursing, mental health nursing, and midwifery and child healthcare. Among the graduates, Babaker Adem and Efrem Asfaha, expressed that the college has trained them with necessary skills that was provided with through both theoretical and practical courses. Furthermore, the graduates reiterated their readiness to practically implement the skills they acquired and render satisfactory services to the people for they have already been acquainted with advanced technologies and mechanisms of healthcare management. Other graduates, Yohannes Tekie and Adem Ahmed on their part disclosed that the courses they pursued would help in accelerating the charted out programs of realizing an equitable and secured healthcare provision.

During the occasion, Mr. Tesfay Wahid, Director for the college of Nursing and Health Technology said that, the theoretical courses that have been given to the students were further supplemented with practical exercises in the training centers situated in Asmara, Menedefera, Dekemhare, Adikeih, Keren, Afabet, Agordet, Barentu, and Tessenei. With regards the recent development of the college Mr. Tesfay said: “Though the College played a leading role before, now it is working in coordination with all the health science schools for more efficiency.” 

Dr. Andom Oqbamariam, Head of Research and Human Resource Development in the Ministry of Health disclosed that in 2010, with the joining of additional work forces such as the 1,000 associate nurses, the newly graduated nurse midwives, and other specialists, it is expected that the health care provision in Eritrea would improve in terms of quality especially the health care for mothers and infants. “It is gratifying to observe the fruit of the relentless endeavors that has continued for the last 3 years,” he said. “In deed, providing qualified specialists that passed through 5 months practical training along with the intensive monitoring has not been an easy task.  As the result of the concerted efforts and investments made to strengthen the health sector, however, such great event has been realized,” Dr. Andom added.