Ogun State government, in collaboration with the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project Implementation Unit, on Wednesday, held a stakeholders’ engagement on the project’s contributions to the state’s health sector.
The meeting, which was held in Abeokuta and chaired by the Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, had in attendance the 20 local government chairmen, health secretaries, development partners, religious leaders, civil society organizations, ward development committee, among others.
DAILY POST reports that the health intervention project is 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 improving access to quality healthcare services beneficial to children and women in selected States.
The commissioner maintained that the meeting was organised to brief stakeholders on the project, adding that it was designed to strengthen primary healthcare service delivery across the States, including revitalisation of health centers, especially in the underserved areas where access to health services was limited.
Coker disclosed that the State was set to recruit 400 Senior Community Health Workers (CHEWs) to complement 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 it was to ensure a 40 percent reduction in child mortality rates by improving immunisation coverage and other prevention and treatment in the State.
Olajide noted that part of the project was the revitalisation of 75 primary healthcare centres across the 20 LGAs in the State, which was recently awarded to successful contractors, 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, Elijah Ogunsola, while reiterating the commitment of the Abiodun-led administration to revitalise the health sector by providing quality health services, added 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 served 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, Olaolu Olabimtan, emphasised the importance of collaboration and effective communication in achieving the government’s health sector objectives, particularly at the grassroots level.
He asserted that 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 Odulate, commended the state government and IMPACT Projects for for the initiative, while highlighting its potential to improving healthcare delivery at the grassroots level.
