Agagu’s healthy footprints in Ondo

By Ademola Adedapo

Dr. Olusegun Agagu,
Ondo State governorOn May 29, 2007, when Dr Olusegun Agagu was eing sworn in for a second term in office as governor of Ondo State, he did not mince words about the dreams of the administration for a sustainable,  more effective and efficient world class medicare.

He said that his government, from inception in 2003, had a clear vision of what the health sector should be in order to ensure that people of the state have easy access to and as well get adequate and qualitative medical attention where they live, work and play.

As such, no sooner than he got to office that he started building on what he had done in the sector in the first four years. It would be recalled that on inception of office in 2003, the Agagu administration had taken several steps to combat the array of challenges confronting the sector.

The challenges ranged from lack of policy direction for the health sector to inadequate basic infrastructure, materials and logistics support, just as strategies for the development of a sustainable, integrated and responsive health services were non-existent, thus leaving the health system in a sorry state.

As a way out of the mess, the Agagu administration wasted no time in resolving to fashion out new and appropriate policies and strategies to solve the observed problems. This involved a new health reform hinged on the development of a sustainable and equitable healthcare system aimed at guaranteeing universal access to quality and affordable health services.

At the end of the first term, the Agagu administration had ensured that each of the 18 local government areas has a well- equipped and staffed general hospital (four specialist hospitals inclusive) and a comprehensive health centre, while 190 out of the 203 political wards in the state had had basic health centres, thus taking healthcare to the doorsteps of the people. Beyond that, a drug procurement system to ensure regular supply of inexpensive and quality drugs and dressings to health facilities in the state was put in place under its Pharmaceutical management programme.

Having put the right structures in place, the administration commenced free healthcare for pregnant women and children under five years of age. Free surgeries for hernia and eye patients became a standard practice, just as a fully equipped Critical Care Centre was inaugurated in Akure to handle patients in trauma, a facility that was non-existent in the state before then. The administration, during the first term also gave training and retraining of medical and health personnel a prior attention. All these efforts, which turned healthcare delivery around in the state, were widely acknowledged locally and internationally. The WHO even chose the state as best in Nigeria on health issues.

In the second term, that is, the last one year so far, Agagu did not find it difficult taking the sector to greater heights. This was the fulcrum of the press briefing addressed by the Health Commissioner, Dr Kehinde Adedeji, on the activities and achievements of the ministry in the last one year.  Adedeji told the well-attended gathering that in order to continue to give better and qualitative health service delivery to the citizenry, the Agagu administration committed over N2.1 billion to the sector in the last one year. The sum, he said, was used to give a leap to the various programmes in the health sector.

These programmes, Adedeji said, included equipping the various healthcare facilities, buoying up the pharmaceutical management prog- ramme, employment of medical personnel, training and retraining of health workers, expansion of free medicare for pregnant women and children under five years to cover free treatment of malaria in the accredited 240 health facilities owned by state and local governments, free eye surgeries and treatment, medical assistance to the needy, donation of vehicles and ambulances to health facilities and training institutes, among others.

The medical personnel, who said procurement of drugs, consumables and insecticide-treated nets for the free health programme for pregnant women and children under five had gulped about N960 million in the last one year, said  plans were underway for the provision of monthly allocation to local governments for free ante-natal services for pregnant women. He, however, said treatment of malaria for the class of people is free in all state and local government-owned health facilities in the state. These, he said, are apart from the already existing free health programme for children aged between six and 18 years on out-patient basis.

In the last one year, the commissioner, who said five episodes of Festival of Surgery were carried out, disclosed that 447 patients suffering from various surgically-treatable diseases such as hernia and hydrocoele among others were operated on free of charge while about 1,289 members of public were screened. For the free eye treatment programmes, he said that the four episodes of Eye Camp carried out witnessed free treatment of 169 patients suffering from cataract and the distribution of 2,300 eye glasses. In the same manner, the administration is continuing with its assistance programme for members of the public that need specialized medical care but lack the financial muscle to accomplish it. To this end, the administration has, between May 29 last year and now, assisted 357 patients to the tune of over N163 million.

Adedeji, who took pride in the new look that health facilities in the state are wearing courtesy of renovation, reconstruction and additional hospital modern wards and buildings, said that renovation of existing structures and construction of new ones in the last one year has gulped about N100 million while efforts are being intensified to reconstruct a new children’s ward at the State Specialist Hospital, Akure.

According to him, with a view to ensuring qualitative healthcare delivery, about N200 million has been expended on supply and installation of necessary medical equipment, furniture items and gadgets in the health facilities and training institutes. In the same manner, five project vehicles, 18 delivery vans and 24 ambulances at the cost of N270.1 million were distributed to the general hospitals, comprehensive health centres and School of Health Technology , Akure, for use.

To ensure effective and efficient manpower, the administration in the last one year employed 22 doctors, 50 nurses, four pharmacists, eight medical laboratory scientists, eight medical record officers, 16 medical record technicians and 12 pharmacy technicians. A good number of the health workforce also benefited from training and retraining programmes within and outside the country. Trainings in disease control were not taken for granted. Workshops were organized for 50 medical doctors and 50 health workers on treatment, care and support of people living with HIV/AIDS and for promoting linkage tuberculosis and HIV respectively. Also, 75 health workers, 300 primary school teachers, 50 community leaders and 2500 primary school pupils were selected and trained from all the 18 local government areas in the state on the prevention and control of schistosomiasis. There were also advocacy and sensitization of the state policy makers and community leaders on the control of the disease in the state.

The commissioner, who said that the Pharmaceutical Management Programme of the administration has succeeded in bringing about standard and inexpensive drugs in the health facilities, hinted that a new prime vendor, Sunshine Copharm, was appointed by government in the last one year to bring the number to four. The earlier accredited prime vendors are Morrison Industries Plc, Emzor Pharmaceutical Ltd and Fidson Healthcare Ltd. He added that accident and emergency drugs worth about N4 million have been procured for the four specialist hospitals and General Hospital, Ore to take care of accident and emergency patients whose relatives may not be readily available.

Another major breakthrough of the administration in the sector in the last one year was the appointment of 20 neighbourhood health inspectors, one for each local government area and two each for Ilaje and Ese Odo local governments in view of their terrains. The neighbourhood health inspectors were selected from highly experienced retired health workers and are to monitor the staff and health facilities provided by the state and local governments in their respective local government areas.

Adedeji said that apart from the state budgetary allocation for financing the sector, efforts are being made in expanding partnerships with development agencies and other funding partners such as WHO, UNICEF, USAID, DFID etc. International donors such as Project Cure Benevolent Healthcare, USA donated hospital equipment and reagents worth about N120 million to the state, just as New York University of Dentistry, USA donated 12 dental chairs. 

He said that in view of the laudable achievements of the Agagu administration in the health sector, several benefits have come the way of the state. These, he said, included the choice of Okitipupa, Ondo West, Akure South, Ose, Akoko North West and Ile Oluji/Oke Igbo local government areas as african learning sites for health system development. With all these and more, the administration is still reassuring the people that the best is yet to come as it promises that it would continue to pursue the stated objectives of developing a sustainable, equity-based healthcare system that will provide universal access to basic qualitative and improved healthcare service delivery.  

Adedapo sent this piece from New Town, Ondo, Ondo State.