By Ahmed Ubandoma

The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), says it has developed a standard national benchmark and curriculum for training of elderly persons caregivers in Nigeria.

Dr Emem Omokaro, the Director General of the centre, disclosed this on Monday, in Abuja, during a stakeholders meeting on the validation of a draft National Benchmark Statement and Minimum Standards curriculum for training caregivers to older persons.

Omokaro said, the stakeholders’ engagement was aimed at producing a strategic document that would emphasise skills and competence, to meet the geriatric needs in Nigeria.

“At the end of this meeting, we should be able to produce a global standard document that will emphasise skills and competency in care of older persons.

“We also recognise the training of care providers that can stand up to the best practice and then put in place mechanisms for assessing the trainers; you assess the training centre and you know how you evaluate them.

“So it is a whole industry mechanism that we have  put in place, and we should be able to move forward with these drafts.

The D-G further explained that, the mandate of the stakeholders’ engagement was to ensure a comprehensive framework towards universal health coverage for the older persons.

“We have to create the framework. We must have the competence that is well recognised, and we must have the certification, the compensation and the standards.

“We have called in partners to ensure that we bring a benchmark standard in curriculum for caregivers and guidelines to standardise, as well as certify caregivers and operators in Nigeria.

“So, we are working with NBTE first to classify the setting, classify the skills and then to ensure that these skills are recognised, and to ensure that there’s a framework for progression,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Sani Gwarzo, represented by Mr Joseph Dzungwe, commended the centre on its determination to improve the quality of health of older persons in the country.

Gwarzo said,  the ministry was  committed towards the realisation of agenda 2030 of the  sustainable development goals of achieving human rights of all persons including older persons in Nigeria. (NAN)