Lomé – In collaboration with World Health Organization in Togo, World Bank is supporting the country to improve its health care quality. This includes equipping 14 training schools for paramedical personnel with teaching, computer and videoconferencing materials, with more than 600 nurses and midwives recently trained in infection prevention and care for COVID-19 patients. World Bank Resident Representative in Togo, Hawa Wagué, explains why training is crucial for quality health care.

Why was it important to provide equipment for training centres in Togo?

One important factor in improving the health status of the population is the availability of well-qualified personnel in health facilities. The initial and continuous training offered by well-equipped training centres contributes to this. WHO Togo has used the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) funds effectively and efficiently, by ensuring the supply of equipment to training centres. This equipment will make it possible to offer continuous training, both face-to-face and via teleconference, to health personnel located throughout the country. This support can also contribute to updating the curricula for health workers, increasing the capacity of training centres, and improving the quality of health care.

Indeed, this upgrade of Togo's health sector training centres should change the situation significantly. Improving the quality of care offered to the population will help increase the usage rate and improve health indicators. This is an important link in Togo’s national goal to enhance universal health coverage, which is supported by the World Bank.

How important is your collaboration with WHO?

We have an excellent collaboration with WHO in Togo to support the Government in implementing its sector development strategy. This collaboration has been strengthened during the fight against COVID-19.

In consultation with the Togolese Government, the allocation of US$ 1 million from the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility has been entrusted to WHO. This funding, for a period of one year, was intended to strengthen the response capacities of beneficiary countries to the COVID-19 pandemic. We were delighted that Togo’s Ministry of Health designated WHO as implementing agency for activities financed by this fund. We collaborated with the WHO and the Ministry of Health in identifying activities to be funded: strengthening the skills of paramedical personnel; and strengthening infection prevention and control capacities within health facilities. We take this opportunity to once again congratulate WHO Togo for successfully implementing these activities.

How can this initiative be replicated in other countries?

Having well-equipped and functional training centres is a key factor in achieving the national objectives of improving universal health coverage initiative. It’s therefore up to us as technical and financial partners, wherever we are, to continue to work together so that this component (training centres) of national strategies for improving the health sector is not forgotten. We are convinced that the lessons learned from this initiative in Togo will be useful in other countries.