No fewer than 45 student nurses from the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at Kaduna State University (KASU) have undergone specialized training aimed at improving healthcare delivery for pregnant and nursing mothers. The one-day workshop, held in Kaduna, was organized the Innovation Hub, Kaduna State University in collaboration with the Country Representative of Dannonmbi Care Foundation as part of the Federal Government’s Maternal, Adolescent, and Young Child Nutrition (MAMi) initiative.
The training focused on equipping nursing students—often the first point of contact for patients in primary healthcare centers—with the skills to promote health-seeking behavior, particularly among women and children. According to the coordinator, Bilques Yusuf, empowering nurses at this foundational level is key to building a more responsive and patient-friendly healthcare system.
“Research has shown that health-seeking behavior depends on the kind of services people receive at the primary healthcare entry point,” Yusuf explained. “This training helps nurses to understand and apply this knowledge, creating a safe space where mothers can open up about their health concerns.”
Yusuf emphasized that the MAMi initiative seeks to address maternal and child nutrition through a multi-sectoral approach, with quality frontline healthcare as a critical component. She noted that student nurses are not just trainees—they are the future custodians of primary and secondary healthcare delivery in Kaduna and beyond.
During the workshop, Dr. Hilary Yacham Zaggi, one of the facilitators, spoke extensively on the power of communication in healthcare. He highlighted the importance of verbal clarity, active listening, and emotional intelligence in building trust. “The goal of the training isn’t just to treat illness,” Dr. Hilary said. “It’s to build connection. Empathy is not just a feeling—it’s a skill every health worker must master.”
On her part, Professor Hauwa Evelyn Yusuf distinguished scholar and Professor of Criminology and Gender Studies at Kaduna State University, spoke on human-centered approach in public health.
Professor Yusuf, stressed that effective public health interventions must move beyond purely clinical perspectives to genuinely understand and address the needs, values cultural contexts of patients. She elaborated on how a human-centered approach translates into practical application at healthcare facilities. She urged the attending nurses to prioritize empathy, active listening, and respectful engagement with patients, particularly pregnant and nursing mothers.
By fostering an environment where individuals feel heard, understood, and are active participants in their healthcare decisions, she argued, healthcare providers can build trust and encourage greater adherence to health recommendations. This approach, she underscored, is fundamental to addressing the often-complex reasons behind health-seeking behaviors.
In her conclusion, Professor Yusuf described human-centered approach as a strategic necessity for achieving sustainable public health improvements and challenged the nurses to be champions of this paradigm shift within their respective facilities, transforming the point of entry into primary healthcare from an unfriendly encounter into a supportive, empowering experience.
The student nurses, including Ibrahim Momadu, Aisha Isa, and Khadijah Auwal, praised the training as insightful and transformative. They agreed that empathy, combined with professionalism, plays a key role in encouraging patients to seek and continue care.
As the collaboration strengthens the commitment to maternal and child health, training compassionate nurses at the community level remains central. The workshop stands as a step toward more patient-centered care, where trust and empathy drive better health outcomes.
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