Startrend International Magazine For Your Latest News And Entertainment Gists
ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA – The Ogun State government in collaboration with the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project Implementation Unit, held a-day stakeholders’ engagement on the Project’s contributions to the State’s health sector 2025 deliverables, with the 20 Local Government Chairmen, Health Secretaries and other relevant bodies across the State.
The Project was a health intervention project supported by the World Bank, in collaboration with the Federal Government, Federal Ministry of Health, and National Primary Healthcare Development Agency whose objective was aimed at reducing under-five mortality rate and also catalyse overall improvements in health services at both National, State and LGAs level, thereby resulting in improvements in access to quality healthcare services beneficial to children and women in selected States.
Commissioner for Health in the State, Dr. Tomi Coker, who chaired the meeting in Abeokuta, stated that the meeting was organised to brief stakeholders on the project, saying that it was designed to strengthen Primary Health Care service delivery across the States, with the aim of improving the essential health needs, including revitalisation of Primary Healthcare Centres, especially in the underserved areas where access to health services was limited.
Dr. Coker noted that, Prince Dapo Abiodun’s-led administration remains committed to expanding healthcare access, through strengthening the primary healthcare system, renovating and equipping PHCs, enhancing service delivery and improving human resources capacity, disclosing that the State was set to recruit 400 Senior Community Health Workers (CHEWs) to compliment the workforce at the primary healthcare centres across the State.
Speaking on the project’s goals, the project manager IMPACT, Dr. Kofoworola Olajide, explained that the project was designed to transform service delivery by creating a quality and sustainable healthcare system, adding that part of the goals of the project was to ensure a 40 percent reduction in child mortality rates by improving immunisation coverage and other prevention and treatment in the State.
Olajide further stated that part of the IMPACT project, was the revitalisation of 75 primary healthcare centres across the 20 LGAs in the State, which was recently awarded to successful contractors, who were keenly selected after the bidding process, training of healthcare workers, providing the facilities with laptops for quality health data, assuring that the IMPACTS project would improve the health indices of the State.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of Ogun State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Elijah Ogunsola, noted the commitment of the Abiodun-led administration to revitalise the health sector by providing quality health services, adding that the IMPACT project would help in achieving a universal health coverage and improve the well-being of the residents.
He noted that the meeting brought together stakeholders including Local Government Chairmen, Health Secretaries, Development partners, Religious leaders, Civil Society Organisations (CSO), Ward Development Committee (WDC) among others, serving as a platform to familiarise participants with the project’s objectives, scope, and timelines, towards ensuring that all parties involved were on the same page and working towards a common goal of delivering top-notch healthcare services to the people of Ogun State.
In his goodwill message, Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Olaolu Olabimtan, emphasised the importance of collaboration and effective communication in achieving the government’s health sector objectives, particularly at the grassroots level, saying that commitment to collaboration aligns with the Ogun State Government’s broader efforts to enhance healthcare delivery, as seen in initiatives like the development of annual operational plans for health intervention programmes and the establishment of the Ogun State Health Insurance Agency (OGSHIA) to provide financial risk protection and improve health outcomes.
He said through fostering strong partnerships and open communication, the government aims to create a healthier environment for its citizens, particularly in rural areas.
Speaking on behalf of the chairmen, Chairman of Sagamu Local Government Area, Ogbeni Afolabi Odulate, commended the State Government and IMPACT Projects for launching a laudable programme aimed at strengthening collaboration between Local Governments and Primary Healthcare Centers, expressing his appreciation for the initiative, while highlighting its potential to improving healthcare delivery at the grassroots level.
He emphasised that the synergy between the Chairmen and the Health Secretaries would ultimately contribute to the State’s goal of creating a healthier environment for its citizens.
