Published by African Examiner
African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Around Africa, West Africa
Monday, November 9th, 2026
(AFRICAN EXAMINER)– Prof. Yao Tettey, representing the West African Colleges, has actually advised ECOWAS leaders to increase financing for specialised medical training and centers to enhance sophisticated health care shipment throughout the sub-region.
Tettey made the appeal in Abuja on Monday throughout the Integration Meeting of Accredited West African Colleges, Training Institutions and Regulatory Bodies in the ECOWAS area, stressing local cooperation.
He applauded the West African Health Organization (WAHO) for supporting efforts to harmonise postgraduate medical training and sub-specialty programs throughout member states, explaining the effort as especially crucial.
“The effort followed issues raised by ECOWAS Heads of State over extended fellowship training, which postponed the schedule of professionals to offer innovative health care services,” Tettey stated.
He discussed that the Assembly of Health Ministers consequently prompted medical colleges to establish middle-level professionals efficient in resolving health care requires throughout bigger populations within the sub-region.
“The Assembly of Health Ministers consequently prompted medical colleges to establish middle-level experts efficient in taking care of the health care requirements of bigger populations,” Tettey stated.
He stated the colleges reacted by presenting the Membership Examination as an exit evaluation, making it possible for effective prospects to acquire accreditation and function as professionals in district medical facilities.
Tettey stated the colleges had actually broadened training beyond basic fellowship programs to consist of sub-specialties, attending to ongoing reliance on foreign nations for innovative medical treatment and services.
He applauded WAHO for supporting the advancement and harmonisation of sub-specialty programs, revealing self-confidence that the continuous workout would produce a file for local execution.
The agent, nevertheless, determined insufficient financing and medical devices as significant barriers to specialised health care shipment, keeping in mind that some experienced experts had actually left their nations.
He discussed that some experts who went back to Ghana after innovative training might not practice their know-how due to the fact that healthcare facilities did not have the essential devices and centers.
Tettey revealed optimism that emerging local centres of quality were motivating experts to return home and supply extremely specialised medical services within their particular nations.
He mentioned interventional cardiology and kidney hair transplant as examples of sophisticated medical services being established in Nigeria and other nations throughout the West African sub-region.
He attracted ECOWAS leaders to supply continual financial backing for specialised health care experts and centers, allowing them to provide sophisticated medical services in your area.
Tettey stated harmonised programs should resolve population health care requires while enhancing the area’s capability to supply specialised treatment and decrease reliance on foreign medical centers.
He revealed hope that the effort would ultimately decrease medical travel outside Africa, especially to the United Kingdom, United States and France, for innovative treatment.
He prompted individuals to guarantee their considerations produced appropriate training programs efficient in enhancing professional health care shipment and promoting local self-sufficiency throughout ECOWAS member states.
The Director-General of WAHO, Prof. Palokinam Pitche, called for more powerful local cooperation and harmonised training requirements to resolve vital health labor force lacks threatening health care shipment.
Pitche, represented by Prof. Joseph Olorunda, Head of Training and Human Resources for Health, stated local health systems stayed delicate in spite of global statements and dedications towards attaining universal health protection.
He determined insufficient funding, weak monitoring systems, bad public health facilities and crucial lacks of qualified specialists as relentless obstacles weakening health care services throughout member states.
He stated that although federal governments had actually made efforts to train and utilize health employees, lots of training organizations stayed underfunded, limiting their capability to produce adequate specialists.
“Employment constraints, bad working conditions, insufficient compensation and restricted profession advancement chances had actually continued to prevent health specialists and fuel migration.
“The obstacles had actually added to weakening health care centers and decreasing quality of services, especially in nations having a hard time to keep knowledgeable specialists,” he included.
Pitche stated migration and scarcities of experienced health employees had actually especially impacted rural neighborhoods, where access to quality health care stayed restricted throughout the sub-region.
He recognized low incomes, bad working conditions, insufficient rewards and weak regulative structures as significant elements adding to the area’s personnels for health crisis.
Pitche described that political and financial obstacles, along with structural change policies, had actually compromised labor force advancement through personnel layoffs, work freezes and failure to hire workers.
He stated some nations did not have effectively structured and effectively geared up personnels departments efficient in affecting policies and reinforcing health labor force preparation and management.
According to him, previous evaluations revealed Africa had approximately 1.5 health employees per 1,000 population, listed below the minimum 2.5 needed to considerably lower maternal death.
Pitche alerted that without collaborated local interventions, ECOWAS nations would have a hard time to accomplish significant development towards the Sustainable Development Goals and universal health protection.
He stated WAHO had actually helped with the harmonisation of 58 standard and post-basic training curricula covering various classifications of health experts throughout the West African sub-region.
He included that the organisation had actually established harmonised training modules for community-based health employees to reinforce grassroots health care shipment and enhance access to important services.
According to him, WAHO had actually supplied training scholarships to construct the capability of 44 health experts in important locations of health care shipment throughout member states.
He stated the organisation had actually likewise supported member states economically to execute harmonised curricula and established fitness instructors’ handbooks to enhance health expert education quality.
Pitche stated WAHO had actually established a local action strategy to inspire and maintain health specialists in hard surfaces, while mapping expert training requirements and local strategies.
He included that the organisation had actually promoted constant training for 23 health specialists from ECOWAS nations in antibiotherapy and vaccinology to enhance specialised health care shipment.
The director-general stated WAHO had actually offered financial backing to local colleges and academic organizations to promote research study, understanding sharing and clinical publications throughout the sub-region.
Pointing out a 2025 WHO evaluate, Pitche stated the majority of the 15 ECOWAS member states had less than one doctor, nurse and midwife per 1,000 occupants.
He stated just 2 nations tape-recorded health labor force density ratios in between one and 2.2 per 1,000 occupants, highlighting substantial lacks challenging health care systems throughout the area.
He stressed that resolving those lacks was vital for ECOWAS nations to make significant development towards accomplishing universal health protection by 2030.
The WAHO director-general recognized 5 concerns for resolving the crisis, consisting of quality training, security of health employees and enhanced performance throughout their expert professions.
“Others are dealing with labor force inequalities and imbalances, reinforcing collaborations and constructing trust to support vulnerable health systems throughout the sub-region,” he stated.
Pitche declared WAHO’s dedication to working together with local organisations and advancement partners to carry out health-related choices of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government
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