Will you say that this administration had delivered on its health promises?
During electioneering campaign in 2007, the governor promised as one of its integral action plan of our administration to restore healthy living. He has delivered on all the promises and we will continue on these policies to the end of this administration.
In Osun, healthcare service is free. In case of epidemics, we have put some measures in place including raising people’s awareness towards any possible disease outbreaks. If there is any suspected case of any disease of public importance in Osun, within 24 hours, we will get notified.
In 2013, the majority of the hospitals, particularly secondary healthcare facilities, were in a state of disrepair. A sum of N1.7 billion had been spent to renovate and upgrade all these secondary healthcare facilities.
The 50 state-of-the-art O-ambulance had saved a lot of lives in situations of emergencies. In 2016, O-ambulance saved 1, 774 lives. Between January and March in 2017, it has also saved 630 lives. Within 10 minutes of dialing a number, there will be a response.
In Malaysia, midwives carry portable handheld ultrasound scanner to scan pregnant women in rural areas. This, Governor Aregbesola saw in 2014, and he purchased 100 of these handheld scanners that were distributed to the primary healthcare centres and comprehensive health care centres to further improve the care of pregnant women.
In rural areas, a pregnant woman could present during the antenatal clinic and with no doctor around, the midwife will just scan the pregnancy to know the wellbeing of their babies.
Health status of a state or country is judged based on its maternal and infant mortality rates. Are there other steps being taken to improve on it?
No doubt, these rates are used to ascertain how well a state is doing in terms of healthcare delivery. Under the Safe One Million Lives (SOML), Result for Action programme flagged off in December 2017, much is ongoing to improve the health of women and children.
For instance, at the launch of the state’s maternal and child health week, 15,000 mama-kits were distributed to pregnant women.
Basically, the idea is to attract the women to patronise government hospitals. The distribution of mama-kits is an ongoing exercise.
This March 2018, we are also computerising all our health records in Osun, starting with the State hospital at Asubiaro. Also, under a Private-Public Partnership arrangement, the effort is also on to have a state-of-the-art medical laboratory.
There is an effective daily routine immunisation in the state with coverage of about 82 per cent while almost three million insecticidal treated bed nets were distributed to support the elimination of malaria.
The state of primary healthcare(PHC)
Majority of people live in the rural areas; what people need are just basic things, nothing too glamorous. They want to bring their babies to the health centre to be vaccinated; the pregnant women want to attend antenatal care, and so on, promptly.
So, this is why the idea of PHC under one roof was started by the Health Minister, Professor Isaac Adewole to ensure we have functional PHC centres in Nigeria.
In fact, Osun, Niger, and Abia states have also been selected to participate in a basic health care provision fund to ensure free basic health care services at the PHC level. So, in Osun now, all the 332 wards now have a functional health centre.
How free is health in Osun?
Health is free in Osun, irrespective of disease burden. It is paid for by the government. We also supply free drugs. But due to the economic meltdown in the country, it is practically impossible to do that all alone, there were occasions when we could not afford to buy drugs in our hospital.
So, the state has outsourced pharmacy in its secondary healthcare facilities. Drugs are still given free, but some you will have to pay a lower price. So, all our secondary health facilities now have drugs.
The health insurance is also in place. The out of pocket expense for health worrisome, and so the idea of health insurance to ensure universal health coverage for everybody, irrespective of their social status.
Of course, the monthly “walk to live” was introduced to bring to the consciousness of people the need for a healthy lifestyle.
Government cannot do it all; any support to ensure continuous health services?
At different times, the state government had received support from different philanthropists, including those in Diaspora.
In January 2018, we received medical equipment worth over N200 million from an NGO. And it will soon be distributed to our health facilities.
Oranmiyan USA in 2013 donated some medical equipment to us. Also, Oramiyan Ireland renovated some public toilets in some hospitals. Likewise, Oramiyan Canada is also bringing equipment to our state within the next two months.
Medical missions were encouraged. For example, about 9320 and 8300 people had benefited from free eye care in 2012 and 2013, including free eyeglasses, respectively. Many also had free surgeries.
Any programme on cancer?
We are on the verge of establishing cancer screen programme in partnership with a university in Germany. Commonest cancers in our environment include cancers of the breast, cervix, colorectal and prostate. Before May 2018, we will start cancer screening.
Are you stemming medical quackery?
The way some private hospitals are run in Nigeria is horrible. Some quacks present themselves as doctors. So, we are establishing a commission to look at how private hospitals should look like. Also, a bill has been presented to the house to sanitise private hospital in the state and discourage quackery.
Lassa fever case in Osun; how prepared is the state?
We have renovated two centres as part of our epidemic preparedness for any disease outbreak. The state of Osun has not suffered this disease outbreak. Surveillance officers are always on the field.
Talks are also on to create awareness on healthy living, hand washing, and maintaining a clean environment around the house. This will prevent rodents, including the rats that transmit Lassa fever, being enticed into the house.
Many children in Osun are stunted and wasting, what is being done to check this?
Truly, a lot of children are stunted; it is not peculiar to Osun. The state’s school feeding has helped and we are enlightened people that children must be given adequate food and mothers are been encouraged to exclusive breast feed their babies.
No doubt, rate of stunting and wasting has dropped among the school children and school enrolment also went up, but the preschool children had to be exempted from the state’s school feeding programme because of resources.
But we have not relented on enlightenment for our mothers on the need of adequate feeding of their children as well as for couples to have the number of children they can adequately take care of.
Topmost agenda on Osun health budget
We are laying much emphasis on PHC centre and health insurance. Governor Aregbesola wants everybody to have health insurance coverage. Majority of people live in rural areas and what they need is not that too much –good food, access to prompt and quality healthcare services for common ailments, vaccination, and care of mother and child.
Tension in Osun as Aregbesola inaugurates N1.6bn road project
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