Impact of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors Training on the Delivery of Malaria, Diarrhoea, and Family Planning Services in Nigeria

This study aimed to investigate the impact of PPMV training on their expertise to deliver quality healthcare services to the Nigerian public. The participants were trained on counseling and dispensing of family planning products diarrhea, and malaria products. The study adopted a multistage sampling method and selected a random sample of 1133 PPMVs trained by SFH between 2011 and 2014 who were interviewed between May and June 2015. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression methods. Results reveal that training attendance was significantly associated with adequate knowledge of diarrhea treatment and knowledge of family planning counseling services. PPMVs who attended training twice, and those who attended more than twice over the four years preceding the study were more likely to have adequate knowledge of diarrhea treatment than those who attended only once. Similarly, within the same four-year period, PPMVs who attended training twice and those who attended more than twice were more likely to have adequate knowledge of family planning counseling services than those attending once. Significant association between training attendance and knowledge of malaria treatment was not found. Adequate PPMV training program should be streamlined into the national primary healthcare development program.