2018: It’ll be a herculean task for PDP to take over Osun ―Aregbesola

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, on Monday, in Osogbo said it would be a herculean task for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to take over the machinery of governance in the state in 2018.

He said the implementation of masses’ friendly programmes and provision of durable infrastructural facilities by his administration have further blocked the moves of opposition to stage a comeback.

‎Speaking, while flagging off the distribution of over 15,000 delivery kits to pregnant women in Osun at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, the state capital maintained that Osun citizens having compared the alleged wasteful reign of the PDP and that of the progressives will not commit any mistake of voting the PDP in the coming election.

He said, over 15,000 health incentives  will be given to pregnant women in a programme tagged  “Saving One Million Lives Programme For Results (SOML  PforR), Maternal Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) and  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Mama Kits Distribution”  a federal government programme, supported by the World Bank.

While assuring that the incumbent administration would continue to pursue its health policy with all doggedness and commitment, he recalled that his major campaign promise was the restoration of healthy living among the people.

He contended that since 2010, his government had embarked on the renovation, rehabilitation, and upgrading of the nine state hospitals in Osun, a development he noted, was targeted at providing increased accessibility to qualitative healthcare services in all parts of the state.

According to Aregbesola, with all we have done to develop the state, it is highly impossible for the PDP to
ever have a say in the governance of this state. With their wasteful seven and a half years, the people of the state have totally rejected them.

‎”As we promised the good people of Osun during our campaign, restoration of healthy living among our people is one of the six integral action plans of our administration and I am proud to say that we have delivered on our promise and will continue to pursue this policy with all doggedness and commitment.

“Our administration has since inception recorded remarkable achievements in the health sector. We have put in place an enduring healthcare delivery system capable and has been protecting all residents of Osun from
avoidable deaths due to emergencies, disease conditions or nutritional deficiencies.

“Also, we have been providing and will continue to provide essential drugs and medical consumables
in all our hospitals.

“A new concept we also introduced is Public Private Partnership (PPP) which entails the outsourcing of the pharmacy units of all State Hospitals in order to have regular availability of effective and safe drugs. This has kick-started and is faring well.

“O’Ambulance is another success story. The scheme was introduced in 2013 when 50 states of the art ambulance vehicles were put on the road for medical emergencies, a scheme which has been used to save a lot of lives in situations of emergency in the state.

“In 2016 alone, O’Ambulance saved 1,774 lives. Between January and March this year, it has also saved 630 lives,” Aregbesola stated.

On Saving One Million Lives Programme for Results (SOML PforR), he stated that the programme in Osun was another interventional programme to improve the maternal and child health in the state.

He further explained that programme was aimed at helping to improve maternal and child health indices through improved immunisation coverage which will include: Vitamin A coverage, utilisation of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets, HIV testing among others.

Aregbesola added that the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) that commenced will run throughout the week with Vitamin A supplementation to all children between the ages of six months to 59
months.

In his remark, OsunState Commissioner for Health, Dr Rafiu Isamotu hinted that the programme will enable the state to improve on the health equipment at various health centers across the state while it will also enable the ministry to reach out to more people.

He stated, “it is to promote competitiveness in our day to day activities, through this programme we are going to rate the performance of our health workers and facilities as this present government will not leave any stone unturned in its move to ensure that the people receive the best health facilities.”