Community Health Extension Worker Salary in Nigeria (2023)

The medical field is wide with many sub-professional fields all working together as a team to care for the patient and promote the wellbeing of a nation. The medical professions we will be discussing today are community extension workers. They are known for performing a variety of healthcare activities. They commonly operate in the primary healthcare centre (PHC) and some in-state general hospitals and nursing homes.

Community health extension workers in Nigeria earn about 60,000 Naira to 150,000 Naira.

What is Community Health Extensions Workers’ Salary in Nigeria?

Level	Salary (Naira)
Entry Level	60,000
Experienced	150,000

Aside from their job description, we are interested in the community health extension worker salary in Nigeria per month. Continue reading to find out all that you need to know.

Community health extension workers are persons who play a variety of important healthcare roles primarily in their community. They are trained to supervise and oversee the treatment of terminally sick patients so that they can enjoy healthier and longer lives.

Community health extension workers play a pivotal role in preventive medicine which is why their scope of operation is at the rural level operating at the PHCs across Nigeria.

They have trained experts who received formal training as well as practical training to improve their knowledge and enhance their skills so that they can successfully discharge their activities with minimal or no supervision.

Also, the salary structure of these professionals is another area of concern. It is not enough to have the interest to pursue a course but it is important to know if the course is lucrative with an enticing salary.

So, if you are interested to know about community health extension workers’ salaries, ensure you read through to the end to learn all that you need to know.

Community Health Extension Worker Salary in Nigeria

Most professionals in Nigeria receive a salary and it is normally paid at the end of the month. The aim is to pay workers for their hard work and contribution to the productivity of the organization.

Community health extension workers in Nigeria earn about 60,000 Naira to 150,000 Naira.

However, the salary range can increase or decrease depending on job level, years of work experience, location of a healthcare facility, and the sector of the health facility you are employed.

Note that community health extension workers employed in private clinics earn less than the stated salary with some earning as low as 40,000 Naira. Also, those working in federal health facilities earn higher than those at the state and local health facilities.

Average Salary

As we continue to reveal the salary structure of community health extension workers in Nigeria, we thought it would be appropriate to disclose the average salary earned by these professionals.

The average salary for community health extension workers in Nigeria is 80,000 Naira. Employees that earn this amount are those with about 4-9 years of work experience.

Note that there are community health extension workers that earn less than the stated salary per month and there are those who earn more than the amount.

Entry Level Salary

If you have work experience that is below 2-years, know that you are an employee at the entry-level. As such, you should not expect your salary to be high as that of the average salary and the senior-level salary.

So, the entry-level salary community health extension worker in Nigeria earns a monthly salary of 60,000 Naira to 75,000 Naira.

There is a tendency for the salary to be higher or lesser than the stated amount. Note that community health extension workers employed in private clinics earn less than those in government-owned hospitals.

Senior Level Salary

Senior-level salary is the amount paid to senior employees of an organization. as a community health extension worker, before you can earn this amount, your work experience must be from 10-years and above.

As such, senior-level community health extension workers earn the highest salary earned per month beginning from 175,000 Naira. Note that the amount you will earn can be higher than the stated amount.

Where can they Work?

One of the reasons why many persons opt to study a course is because of their employment status. This means it is possible to a job almost immediately after graduation. Can we say the same thing about the community health extension profession?

I know you have an inkling about Community health extension workers’ salaries and from what you have read so far, you must be interested.

From our discussion so far, it is obvious that community health extension workers are medical professionals as their primary place of assignment or where they work in the healthcare facility, especially at the Primary Healthcare facility established in rural communities.

However, some of these professionals also work in university teaching hospitals/federal medical centres as well as family medicine, nursing homes and general hospitals at the state level. Some go into private practice by establishing their clinic.

Outside the hospital arena, community extension workers can work in

– Medical organizations

– Health maintenance organizations

– Non-governmental organizations

– Tutors in an academic institution

So, with this, you should further be convinced that this course is viable and you can make a profession from it considering the job opportunities available within and outside the hospital or clinical arena.

Types of Jobs available for Community Health Extension Workers

Community health extension workers are familiar with local requirements and sensitivities, allowing them to gain their patients’ trust and bring them to clinics for medical treatment.

– Community mobilization officers

– Health promoter

– Health coordinator

– Nutrition and Health officer

– Health supervisor

– Advocacy

– Outreach enrollment

– Social-emotional support

– Education

Overall, the job of community health extension workers is chiefly to supervise and coordinate the affairs of primary healthcare services. Interestingly, the services of these professionals are needed in most non-governmental organizations where they carry out different types of jobs which are highlighted above.

Roles / Duties of Community Health Extension Workers

The duties and roles of community health extension workers in Nigeria cannot be undermined. Since the medical doctors are found at the secondary and tertiary healthcare levels, these professionals make it their duty to work in the primary healthcare where they can take care of patients at the rural level.

So, if you are still motivated to train as a community health extension worker, it will do you good to have a foreknowledge regarding the roles and duties of these professionals so you will have an idea of what they do.

So, community health extension workers carry out a variety of important healthcare tasks in their communities, including:

• Minor sickness treatment
• Render basic health services, such as first aid, should be provided.
• Taking care of pregnant women
• Conduct community outreach for medical workers or health organizations to create community initiatives that promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health.
• Taking care of children
• Making health-care referrals
• Sanitation and hygiene promotion
• Examination for communicable diseases
• Supervise the treatment of terminally sick patients so that they can live healthier and longer lives.
• Assist poor people in overcoming the barriers that keep them from accessing necessary healthcare.
• Act as healthcare educators, educating people about the various healthcare solutions accessible.
• Keep an eye out for those who appear to be developing a serious condition.
• Have in-depth awareness of the difficulties that patients who seek healthcare confront.
• Patients should be treated at home so that they do not risk contracting or spreading sickness at a hospital or clinic.

These are not the entire roles they play as the list is exhaustive. However, the highlighted roles above are to give you a view of the duties they perform in the community where they are posted to work.

How to become a Community Health Extension Worker

Becoming a community health extension worker is not different from the process of most medical professions. You are required to get formal training in an accredited academic institution offering the course.

Also, there are healthcare facilities, both private and government-owned that you can enrol on for practical training.

The programme duration takes about 2-3 years. During the training, you will be thoroughly trained and furnished with the knowledge and technical know-how of the profession so that you can perform optimally with little or no supervision required.

Required Skill to become a Community Health Extension Worker

Becoming an excellent and outstanding community health extension worker requires not just intellect or knowledge of the profession alone but also requires many core skills training.

The essence of familiarizing yourself with these skills will help enhance your productivity and render quality healthcare services to the patients you have an encounter at the healthcare facility.

The following are common skills required to become a community health extension worker in Nigeria.

• Instructional skills
• Analytical skills
• Ability to assume a wide variety of roles in healthcare
• Ability to write legibly for record-keeping purposes
• Problem-solving skills
• Ability to work with other healthcare professionals.
• Must be well educated
• Advocacy and capacity building skills
• Ability to communicate fluently with the people of the community where they serve.
• Relationship-building skill
• Cultural competence
• Advocacy and capacity-building
• Educational and facilitation skills
• Must be able to carry out research and evaluation

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Conclusion

We have come to the end of our discourse about Community health extension workers’ salaries in Nigeria. I believe you have an inkling concerning the nature of the salary payment of this profession and also the viability of what they do. Presently, more of these professionals are required to manage the primary healthcare facilities in the rural areas to promote quality healthcare, you can take advantage of this to study the course and become a professional community health extension worker in Nigeria.