ONI REITERATES COMMITMENT TO QUALITATIVE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM
eEkiti State Governor, Engr. Segun Oni has restated the determination of his administration to develop the Health Care Delivery System in the state into a national bench mark.
The governor noted that even though the recent Health Development Index released by the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation indicates that the state has one of the lowest rates of communicable disease as well as the least infant and maternal mortality in the country, there was need to take further steps to improve health care delivery in the State.
According to a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Wale Ojo Lanre, Governor Oni made this while speaking after being conferred with the Friend of the Association Award by the state Chapter of he Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Ado-Ekiti.
Governor Oni, who attributed the successes recorded in the health sector to the dedicated service of members of the NMA and other health workers stressed that as leaders of the team in the health sector , Medical Doctors owe it a duty to ensure that facilities and the environment in hospitals were properly maintained at all times.
“We have never had it so good in the health sector. The latest Health Development Index released by the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation indicates that our state has one of the highest vaccination rates against polio and other childhood killer diseases in the country.
“We also have the lowest reported cases of malaria, leprosy and tuberculosis in Nigeria. These are very good indices but I believe we can still do better,” he said.
While stressing that the State Government was committed to developing the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Ado Ekiti into a centre of excellence and the state into the number one destination point for health tourism in the country , Governor Oni disclosed that plans were in top gear to start the development of the permanent site of the teaching hospital in nearest future.
He however noted that construction work had commenced on the new Ado-Ekiti General Hospital, along Palmgrove area of the state capital in order to reduce the present pressure being faced by the UTH as a result of the absence of a general hospital in the State capital.
The governor, who assured that some new facilities and infrastructure that were presently lacking would be put in place at UTH temporary site before construction of the permanent site commences, called for greater collaboration between medical practitioners in the state
Earlier, the newly elected Chairman of the NMA in the state, Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe, stated that the association decided to present Governor Oni with the Friend of the Association Award because of his numerous contributions to he association and for to the positive transformation the health sector in the state had witnessed under his administration