By Olumide Michael, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye has said that progress towards health-related and broader development goals could only be possible through provision of access to essential quality care and protection from financial hardship to everyone, everywhere.
Ipaye made the known at a press conference to commemorate 2019 World Health Day, with the theme, “Universal Health Coverage ‘Everyone Everywhere,'” held at Ministry Of Health Press Conference, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital.
He added that the state government was committed to ensuring that all her citizens enjoy Universal Health Coverage, noting that government had invested financially in human resource for health, infrastructure and service provision to bring her dream to reality.
“With this investment, it is reflective in the health indices of the state as total Ante-Natal Attendance at health facilities has increased from 293,830 in 2017 to 303,775 in 2018, while immunization coverage for 2018 is 85.0 percent which is above the National target if 80 percent and increased uptake of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptive (LARC) from 32,054 in 2017 to 57,218 in 2018,” Ipaye said
He said that in order to sustain the increment attained in the health indices, the state government employed health workers into all secondary health facilities to bridge the gap in human resources, adding that government has embarked on a 250-bed hospital project which would serve as a hub of qualitative service to the people of the state.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Elijah Ogunsola added that the state government had been able to improve on public health, so as way of showing zero tolerance for malnutrition, emphasising that it has also put in place, a health Insurance Scheme “Araya” to make health care affordable for all and sundry in the state.
“As you see that with the introduction of our Community Health Based Insurance Scheme CBHIS known as “Araya” make it possible for the less privileged people in the society the access to health facilities in the state including pregnant women and aged, which has to pay premium and token so as to have access to our health facilities across the state,” Ogunsola said
In her goodwill message, the Manager, Central and West Africa, Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA), Mrs. Chioma Emma-Nwachukwu, said that the institution would continue to partner with the state government, in order to train and retrain health workers in the state on how to identify and manage malnutrition in growing children, especially in their first three years, noted that this determines the latter days of human physical growth and development.
She said this entails integration of good stewardship, adequate financing, qualified and motivated health workforce, access to quality medicines and health products, functional health information systems and people-centred service delivery systems, noted that health systems strengthening for universal health coverage was one of the key instruments for growth and development.
