From Benjamin Babine, Abuja
PharmAccess Foundation in collaboration with the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan Atlantic University graduated 35 participants of the Health Management Programme (HMP) on Saturday on the 6th of March 2021, to aid in strengthening healthcare service delivery in Nigeria.
The HMP certificate program developed by PharmAccess and EDC aims to build the capacity of healthcare professionals with critical business management skills including quality management, human resource and succession planning, financial management, taxation, use of digital technology and inventory management amongst other courses. The program was designed to equip healthcare owners and managers with business management skills to enable them manage their healthcare business better and profitably.
This year’s HMP graduands are the fourth and fifth cohorts who commenced their program in 2020 but due to the Covid pandemic had most of their classes transitioned online, and their graduation delayed. According to some of the graduants interviewed, they have already started applying the knowledge from the program to their healthcare businesses and witnessing positive impact. The graduants had diverse backgrounds with interests in the healthcare sector, including medical practitioners from both public and private sector hospitals, bankers, and pharmacists.
Mr. Peter Bankole, Director of EDC declared the event open with congratulatory messages to all graduants and observed a minute of silence for some of the participants who were afflicted by the Covid virus. He thanked PharmAccess Foundation for the support in initiating the HMP which he acknowledged was a critical Certificate programme needed to build capacity for health professionals.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Country Director of PharmAccess Foundation, Njide Ndili noted that the curriculum for the HMP was developed based on gaps witnessed in the health sector during PharmAccess program implementations and the Medical Credit Fund business support to healthcare businesses seeking access to finance.
Mrs. Ndili reported that the PharmAccess Foundation remains committed to supporting healthcare providers in Nigeria to improve access to better healthcare services for all Nigerians. She urged the graduands to become ambassadors for good business practices and extend the knowledge they have acquired to others within their establishments.
The keynote speaker of the occasion, Mr. Anuoluwapo Eso the Managing Partner, AEC Legal encouraged the graduands to ensure that their newfound knowledge is put to good use, deeming it essential for healthcare professionals to learn how to grow their businesses while they deliver quality services.
The president of the HMP-5 class, Dr. Femi Omololu said: “Knowledge is endless, more so in these ever-changing times. There are new threats, new opportunities, new applications, so we need to continue learning that is why we came to HMP.
“Therefore, as students, we tapped into knowledge from a team of experts which are represented by the EDC and PharmAccess. It was time well spent as classes were enriching, highly engaging and very interactive in a comfortable atmosphere. We were able to grasp business principles, understand customer service and branding better, learn about tax, financial management and business ethics.”