The Ondo state government has launched a new vision and initiative towards providing affordable healthcare for all in the state, especially those living in the rural communities, through provision of affordable primary health care (PHC).
Apart from building on the benchmark recorded by the immediate past government in the state in the health sector, the present administration feels the need to provide and promote essential health care for all. To this end, no fewer than 604 functional health centres have been built across various communities in Ondo State in the last two years by the state government to complement the existing general hospitals across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Executive Secretary of the Ondo State Primary Health-care Development Agency, Dr Francis Akanbiemu, explained that the primary health centre is a concept for every individual, especially the needy in the state to have access to good healthcare, regardless of their social and economic status.
“The health services must be effective, preventive and curative. The services should form an integral part of the country’s health system. The programme must be efficient, multi- sectorial because health does not exist in isolation,” he said.
He revealed that despite putting in place about 604 functional health centres, the state government has not relented in building additional Mother and Child hospitals in the state. Akanbiemu said that the state government has a mandate to re-brand and reposition primary healthcare system in order to render quality service to all and sundry.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Health has embarked on periodic training of its personnel in various hospitals in order to adjust them to the rapidly changing job requirements.
The Executive Secretary of the Ondo State Primary Health-care Development Agency also said that arrangements are in top gear to employ about 90 doctors at the primary health care level to add to the 30 doctors who have been working under the scheme.
According to him, if these medical doctors are eventually employed, “It is going to be unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. The governor has already given us an approval and we are going to inject another set of health workers, including doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and a lot of others.
“The Commissioner for Health is working with the state governor. I am sure in the next couple of months people will stop going to general hospitals for cases that are not supposed to be taken there,” he added.
Some of the pregnant women, nursing mothers and other patients who visited the health centres expressed satisfaction with this development and commended the state government over this initiative.
Speaking with Nigerian Tribune in Uso, in Owo local Government Area of the state, a pregnant woman, Mrs Moradeke Babajide, said “I must commend governor Akeredolu, for bringing these facilities here; they have been treating pregnant women and delivery free of charge; we don’t need to rush to Akure again to enjoy facilities at the Mother and Child.”
A nursing mother, Mrs Hafsat Igbayilola, said “I was delivered of this baby girl of mine free of charge, and they have been treating other children under five years old free of charge. The doctors, nurses and other staff have been wonderful and they work together as a team.”
Akanbiemu however said: “Ondo has suddenly come up with sustainability plan and this was discussed recently in Akure where all the stakeholders agreed that we have to come up immediately and the Contributory Health Scheme in the state.
“This is another area that the government has considered to take off fully all the principles and gains and not only that the basic health provisions fund for which the state government is working on would be fully keyed into by the Ondo state basic health provision fund. So the fund from the basic health fund, the contributor health insurance scheme, the government is also going to increase the funding to the primary health system.”
The state governor, Akeredolu, recently flagged off the distribution of the biomedical equipment/consumables to health facilities, to some of these health centres across the state, saying that the state of the heart equipment would help to boost health care in the state.
He said the equipment would also change the way medical practice was being practised, as some medical personnel had been trained on how to handle and manage these new equipment. He listed some of the equipment to include: electric beds, delivery beds, incubators, surgical instruments, intensive care unit monitors, among others.
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