For many residents of Oke-Ogun zone of Oyo State, especially in the interior agrarian communities, easy access to basic health care delivery has been a mirage for long due to many factors with majority traveling long distances to get access to health care. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE reports that this is no longer the situation as health care centers have been established in even in the most unlikely places.
For many residents of Oke-Ogun zone of Oyo State, especially in the interior agrarian communities, easy access to basic health care delivery has been a mirage for long due to many factors with majority traveling long distances to get access to health care. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE reports that this is no longer the situation as health care centers have been established in even in the most unlikely places.
The need to make health care delivery accessible to people is one of the reasons for the establishment of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) across localities within the country but over the years, across communities within Nigeria, there has been a dearth of functional health centres as many communities in the hinterland do not have PHCs while many that have cannot use them because of lack of facilities.
And until recently, the residents of Sakitoro, Isale-Yayi, in Saki West Local Government Area were in this position. People in the community had lived under the burden of constant nasty smells in addition to constant invasion by flies emanating from the large expanse of Ogidigbo section of the area that had been turned to a huge dumpsite and serves as toilet to surrounding areas.
But the fortunes of Ogidigbo suddenly changed. The Oyo State governor, Engr Seyi Makinde did not only order that a standard Primary Healthcare Centre be provided in the community, the mountainous garbage was cleared and the dumpsite became home to a standard category C Primary Healthcare Centre, to the amazement of people in the community.
But this transformation is not limited to Ogidigbo, it touched almost all areas in Oke-Ogun zone of Oyo State. Residents in communities across Oke-Ogun especially in Saki West, Saki East and Atisbo, have benefitted from the development and they are commending Governor Makinde for the commitment of his administration to the welfare of the people.
They are particularly ecstatic about the government’s efforts in providing easy access to basic health care in communities within Oke-Ogun through the upgrade of existing primary health care centres and construction of new ones.
The residents while lauding the governor during a recent on-the-spot assessment made by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, to the health centres in Saki East, Saki West and Atisbo local government areas of the state, said it is heartwarming that the governor kept his promises to the people.
Speaking in Saki, a traditional ruler, High Chief Oyelowo Joseph stated that they can only express their appreciation for the laudable efforts of Governor Makinde in the zone’s health sector, adding that the tremendous development to their health centres has made life easy on the people as they no longer travel long distances to access medical care.
Also speaking, Chief Raheem Borepo and Chief Salam Makanjuola, chairman of Saki Parapo community union stated that it is the dawn of a new era for them in Saki because their health centres are experiencing unprecedented facelift and upgrade which makes them more positioned to cater fully to the needs of the community.
Ogundeji Samuel Ipadeola, a community head in Tede expressed appreciation on behalf of the people for the expansion and upgrade of the PHC at Tede, adding that this has boosted health care delivery in the state and has made more people to patronise the health centre.
The medical personnel also showed their elation at working in a better environment. At Ago Are PHC, a clinic that was formerly built with mud before the government built a new one, the matron represented by Mrs Ajibola Mojisola, thanked the government for deeming it fit to give the community a modern structure that can fit in with modern realities.
PHCs visited which had been completely upgraded included Ago Are PHC,Oje Owode PHC, Oke Sebe maternity, Model PHC on Oke Ola, Oje Owode, Alaga PHC, Ajegunle PHC,Ogidigbo PHC, Iya PHC, Isale Effi PHC, Tede PHC and Tede Comprehensive Healthcare centre, among others.
In Iseyin, it is a happy time for health workers as they confirmed that things had changed for them in terms of infrastructure and conditions of service. Health workers in Iwajowa Local Government Area of Oyo State led the vanguard of medical personnel.
The workers declared that their health care centres are now standardised and better equipped to meet the health needs of the people. The health workers led by Dr Isaac Ayantola, the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) and PHC coordinator in Iwajowa Local Government Area, made this known while speaking.
“What we have now is a far cry from what we used to have. In fact, we now operate in an environment where it is easy for us to carry out our assignments. Because we have all we need here, workers are no longer missing from their duty post in a bid to look for power to charge their phones or lamps; we also now enjoy increased patronage because people now trust us.
“We no longer use torchlight for baby delivery because we now have power from solar and workers don’t run around for necessary amenities. The number of pregnant women that come here has increased monumentally because of the way the clinics now look and due to the special programmes like the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) which ensures good nutrition for pregnant women and provides food for them on antenatal days.
“We enjoy more support and we encourage people to visit the clinics now. They should stop self-medication because free and quality health care is now available within their community,” Dr Ayantola said.
Corroborating the position of the health workers, the Ward Development Community chairman for health, Okulu Fatai Osuolale, stated that the people no longer travel great distances to access health care, encouraging the governor to do more.
PHCs that were upgraded in the zone include Ekunle 1, Ekunle II, Koso1, Koso 2, Faramora, Akinwumi, Ado Awaye, Opopooloro, Isalu, Oke ola and Ladongan in Iseyin Local Government; Iwere Ile and Ofeegun in Iwajowa Local Government as well as Isia and Elewure in Kajola Local Government. Others are Otu, 2.Oke Amu, Ipapo, Okaka,
Temidire, Opoo, Ibise, Igbojaye, Komu and Babaode in Itesiwaju local government area.
Speaking on the development, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun said the government did a complete overhaul of the PHCs to meet the health needs of the people in fulfillment of the promises made to the people during the election campaign period, adding that the government will do miss to ensure the upgrade of PHCs is total.
and then