Oyo seeks partnership to strengthen PHC at grassroots

Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, has called for increased participation of the Ward Development Committee to strengthen Primary Health Care services and enhance community participation and ownership of health service delivery at the grassroots.

She said feedback from them will also ensure that the government is up-to-date on happening in the PHCs across the state and ensure an increase in uptake of health interventions aimed at ensuring health for all.

Dr Ajetunmobi spoke at the quarterly and rotational WDC meeting with representatives from the 33 WDC local government chairmen and members at the Ibadan South-West Local Government Secretariat, to deliberate on the best ways WDC can improve the health of people at the grassroots.

According to her, “We’ve been seeing their work, but we want them to strengthen whatever they are doing at the primary health care centres in their respective communities. They need to create more awareness about health-related events and activities.

“Whatever they see that is not going well, they should report to us, either at the primary health care level, or at the secondary health care level, or even at the Ministry of Health. They are to be there as our ambassadors.

“We have a lot of activities going on that we need them to intervene such as the treated net distribution campaign from August 1st to August 7th. We need more awareness for the people in the community, particularly on the use of nets.

“The net is not meant for fishing or to cover whatever they are planting on the farm, but it’s for people to sleep under to prevent malaria-related cases.

“And as ambassadors, they need to work more so that they can give us the information on the situation in their communities; these are some of the things that will help to inform policies, or to implement changes that we see around our community.”

The Chairman of the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Honourable Awoleye Dada, in a remark, assured that the appointment of eight permanent secretaries for the health districts by the Oyo State government was for better oversight of healthcare delivery, but documented feedback on activities at the Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) is still vital.

State Chairman, Ward Development Committee, Oyo State Council, Alhaji (Chief) Abdulfatah Oloyede, urged the WDC ward chairmen, as grassroots mobilizers, to take responsibility for monitoring all facility funds and the distribution of drugs to ensure transparency and accountability in the best interests of their communities.

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