Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who corroborated this, said the steps being taken by the governor to improve on healthcare are the first in the South-West, which he hoped “other states will soon emulate.”
They spoke at the flag-off of the revitalisation of nine general hospitals/comprehensive health centres and 332 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Osogbo, the state capital.
Last month, Governor Oyetoala flagged off work on the rehabilitation and equipping of the Ejigbo and Ifetedo General Hospitals.
Tuesday’s ceremony to symbolise commencement of work on the first batch of 150 PHC was witnessed by traditional rulers, political leaders and people from diverse backgrounds.
On completion, each of the 332 wards in the state will have a functional, well-equipped primary healthcare centre available to treat people.
“There will be no need to go to the General Hospital to treat malaria and common aliments,” Governor Oyetola told the enthusiastic crowd at the ceremony.
He added: “This administration has deliberately decided to take quality and equitable healthcare delivery to the grassroots.
“We have instituted the Osun Health Insurance Scheme to complement the state’s health architecture, just as our government makes healthcare affordable to its citizens under the scheme and pays premium for the highly vulnerable.”
“It is our resolve as a party and a government to continue to prioritize the needs of our people and the development of the state, with the health of the people taking the lead.
“We owe a substantial chunk of the funding of health in the state to the Federal Government, which provided the enabling environment for states of the federation to partake in the World Bank’s Saving One Million Lives Program for Result (SOML P forR) initiative under the supervision of the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, whose efforts, guidance and assistance to our government and state remain immeasurable.
“The revitalization programme is also a model designed to make all the 332 PHCs structurally habitable, medically equipped, efficient personnel driven and qualitative service delivery-conscious.”
The Works Supervisor, Remi Omowaiye, said the project “will be comprehensive enough to cater for structural deficit of dilapidated buildings, ensure they have all essential facilities of standard and model health centres, designed with good waste and sewage system, provision of water, landscaping and fencing, electrification and supply of generating sets.”
He added that there will be “motivated and purpose-driven workforce, medical equipment, drugs and consumables that will be technology-driven through a coordinate and software application for maintenance of medical activities and other operations of each facility.”
He explained that in rural places where access to the facility is difficult, the government would make adequate provision for road network to ensure patients get to the PHCs for treatment.”
The state government has already spent N87.7 million to buy equipment for the facilities. These include HIV Test kits and medical consumables, which were also inaugurated on Tuesday by the governor.
Prof. Adewole described Osun as a model and pace-setter in the health sector and applauded the Osun government for complementing the Federal Government’s efforts to enhance healthcare service delivery.
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