Members of the Ogun State House of Assembly today held an interactive session with the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker on the operational plan of her ministry on the proposed N2.5bn Central Bank of Nigeria Credit Facility being proposed by the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun to the legislative arm for approval, with a call for the extension of renovation for health facilities, especially all Primary Health Care centres across the twenty-six State Constituencies.
This was just as the Ministry was charged to set machineries in motion to gather accurate data for the formation of health zones across the State with emphasis on their peculiarities to guide the State government in the implementation and planning phases of development projects in the sector to improve people’s access to quality health care services.
The lawmakers spoke during the session at today’s plenary presided over by Speaker Olakunle Oluomo, calling for the maintenance culture on existing and proposed facilities, particularly medical equipment.
They also implored the Ministry to give priority to Primary Health Care centres being the closest to the grassroots in the allocation of equipment, with members of the community being actively sensitized on the importance of accessing health services.
Earlier in her submission, Dr. Coker intimated the lawmakers of the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration’s efforts at repositioning the State health sector for optimum performance, having embarked on the renovation and procurement of the state of the art facilities to boost work operation in the sector, stating that the State had a total of 521 primary health care centres spread across the twenty local government areas.
Reeling out plans on the utilization of the credit facility, the Commissioner assured that 236 health centres would be renovated with relevant technological and medical equipment, with additional corps doctors and other categories of health workers recruited to boost manpower operation in the centres.
She added that the State Health Insurance Scheme would help provide sustainable health policy for all segments of the populace, while stressing the need to immediately fix the Accident and Emergency unit of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) alongside the procurement of dialysis and digital x-ray machines.
In another development, State House of Assembly has amended the State Parks and Garages Development Board Law, 2020 into law.
The bill with long title, ”H.B No. 057/OG/ 2020- The Ogun State Parks and Garages Development Board Law, 2020- A Bill for a Law to Repeal the Ogun State Parks and Garages Development Board Law, 2004 and Enact the Ogun State Parks and Garages Development Agency, 2020”, was passed shortly after the presentation of the report of the Committee on Transportation by its Chairman, Oludaisi Elemide, who thereafter moved the motion for its adoption which was seconded by his Deputy, Abayomi Fasuwa and supported by the Whole House through a voice vote.
The Clerk of the Assembly and Head of Legislative Services, ‘Deji Adeyemo , thereafter took the third reading of the bill, while Speaker Oluomo directed that the clean copy of the bill be forwarded to the Governor for his assent.
