ESTABLISHING AN ONs TRAINING PROGRAM IN LIBERIA, Oct 29-Nov2nd 2012

Page 1 of 2

LIBERIA WORKSHOP ON MID LEVEL CADRES PLANNING - PRELIMINARY REPORT 0ctober 29th –November 2nd 2012 at Corina Hotel

1. Components that will contribute to the Sustainability of the Program

a) All The participants agreed that the ON program is much needed in Liberia. A sustainability

plan draft 0 is available and needs to be finalized

b) A career development ladder (see attached) has been proposed and endorsed by all the

participants and presented to the MOH for adoption and implementation. This career ladder

aim to address the lack of career progression, the steady low salary, the low motivation, the

skewed distribution of health workers.

c) The assistant Ministry of Health and Social Welfare during his speech committed that eye

health workers will be fully integrated in the national HRH plan.

d) Mr. Mawollo Kollie , the HR Director invited Sightsavers and The National eye care

coordinator to be part of the newly formed HRH task force .

e) The Health workforce planning process will start in December 2013; hence the National

eye care coordinator/Sightsavers will provide the MoH with all the information

needed for an effective planning and integration of the eye health workers in the

national HRH policy document.

f) The MOH and University contributions are: salaries, infrastructure, and the teaching staff.

Financing

g) Financial ownership by the Ministry of Health. The MOH is currently mapping national

resources and developing a strategy to generate resources through innovative financing

mechanisms. Working groups are in place and eye health advocates should be part of the

work groups in other to ensure that part of the resources collected/generated should be

allocated to eye health as well.

h) The Ministry of Health budget is revised every year, so there is an opportunity to integrate

HReH for the next budget session that will take place around February 2013.

Advocacy

a) An advocacy plan has been drafted

b) An advocacy committee coordinator has been appointed with a vice coordinator. Both

are blind, the first Dr Karhl Lewis is a US trained ophthalmologist and the latter is a

ESTABLISHING AN ONs TRAINING PROGRAM IN LIBERIA, Oct 29-Nov2nd 2012

Page 2 of 2

journalist working with apple inc teaching part time the use of technology to blind and

visually impaired in Liberia . He is putting together a video of the workshop for advocacy

purposes.

Retention strategies

a) Registered nurses that will be trained to become ONs will be selected from different

counties. On average, two RNs already on government payroll per county with a

preference for counties underserved. At the end of their training, they should return to

their county. This strategy will address underserved areas and reduce attrition

2. POLICY AND REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

a) A Technical working group has been set up by the representative of the Minister at

the end of the workshop. The workgroup will ensure the follow up of the recommendations

of the workshop. The task force will be presided by the Ministry of Health, Sightsavers will

ensure the secretariat and the member are: TNMIA (the training institution where the

program will be established), the Physician Assistant council, the nursing board, the JFK

hospital (one the biggest hospital where the students will do their practicals) and the

National eye care coordinator.

b) A list of resolutions endorsed and signed by all the participants have been submitted to the

representative of the MOH

Student/ Curriculum/ Faculty/Instructors a) The entry requirement is RN with 2 years of experience. The trainees will sign a bond with

the local government before training.

a) The clinical sites for practical’s have been identified

b) A competency based curriculum that is relevant to national needs was finalized

c) A refresher course on pedagogy is planned. This will target primarily health professionals

who have great surgical and clinical skills with no academic/pedagogic background.

d) A comprehensive Budget to set up the program is being finalized