Project News

In September 2017, the project conducted refresher workshops for village health center staff. These workshops covered topics on family planning (FP), maternal and child health (MCH) and health promotion. The workshops were held for two days in three locations respectively, namely, Mafraq (Sep. 12-13), Irbid (Sep. 17-18) and Dayr Allah (Sep. 27-28). Midwives who supervise focus VHCs, district MCH supervisors and nurses and midwives who are working at focus VHCs attended the workshops. Most of the participants also attended the initial FP training held last year. In total, 36 nurses and midwives from three directorates were trained.

During the workshops, the updated VHC operation manual for reproductive health and FP services was introduced and distributed. Using the manual, workshop participants carried out discussions on the roles of the VHCs and what should be the tasks and requirements for each staff position within the VHCs to provide reproductive health services. Moreover, the updated FP flipchart, a teaching material, was introduced and the participants were given time to practice using the flipchart in group work sessions.

It has been more than 10 months since the initial FP training for nursing staff was conducted. Although several supportive supervision visits to each focus VHC have been conducted to follow-up on FP and MCH services after the initial training, nursing staff were not given the opportunity to discuss their daily activities for peer review after the training. During the workshops, participants were able to share their experiences, knowledge and lessons learned through providing reproductive health services at the VHCs. These workshops, therefore, became great opportunities to review their daily work practices, to refresh their knowledge and to gain new skills in providing reproductive health services.

While all focus VHCs had begun to provide FP services it was noted that some VHCs are not providing MCH services and there are gaps between individual VHC staff members in ability to provide reproductive health services. A number of reasons for the inability of some VHCs to provide MCH services became clear. Notably, differences between the three health directorates in their understanding of the role of nurses working at the VHCs, lack of essential equipment for the provision of the services, and the nurses' lack of confidence in the ability to provide MCH services. A gap between the perceptions of the MCH supervisors from Woman and Child Health Directorate (WCHD), Ministry of Health (MOH), and the MCH supervisors in directorates regarding the roles of nursing staff in the provision of reproductive health services was also discovered. These issues should be resolved by following up with each VHC after the workshops.

Finally, through these workshops we observed a strengthened cooperation and meaningful ownership of the project in staff of WCHD, not only our main counterparts but also in the staff from the maternal health and child health departments in the WCHD. It is worth mentioning that they made the suggestions to follow-up with VHC nursing staff after the workshop by means of On the Job Training (OJT) and supportive supervisions.

Continuous support for the VHCs to provide MCH services will be provided through the cooperation between the VHC project, the WCHD supervisors and the health directorate and districts supervisors to ensure that the MCH services are provided at all focus VHCs. We believe that the nursing staff will be able to provide all women and child health related services at all focus VHCs with confidence in the near future.

Introduction of the VHC operation manual (Irbid)

Role-play of postpartum care (Mafraq)

Introduction of FP flipchart teaching material (Dayr Allah)

Practice of using FP flipchart (Irbid)

Discussion on health activities review (Mafraq)

After the workshop (Irbid)