The Ondo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency wants Medical officers of health in the 18 local government areas of the state to be more alive to their responsibilities or risk being replaced.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr Francis Akanbiemu gave the charge in Akure, during a one-day engagement with the PHC Directors.
The engagement was aimed at assessing and strengthening primary healthcare service especially at the grassroots and also to ensure that the local government primary health coordinators are working in line with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s ‘OUR EASE’ agenda with particular emphasis on efficient health care services.
Dr Akanbiemu said primary health workers had no excuse to perform below expectation going by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration huge investment in the health sector as evident in some key projects projects currently being executed by the agency and the approval for recruitment of more Medical Doctors and health workers to further enhance service delivery to the people.
The Permanent Secretary frowned at the fact that some health indicators, especially immunization were not performing to expectation at the local government level urging them to embark on outreaches and sensitisation programmes to encourage more women to present their children for immunisation as Ondo state was noted for its high performance in Immunisation.
He said plans were underway to tackle challenges facing workers at rural levels particularly those in the hard-to-reach areas so that more primary health workers could be available at the grassroots to deliver quality services to residents.
Dr Akanbiemu while commending Governor Aiyedatiwa for the prompt release of funds for various projects in the agency also appealed to primary health workers across the state to justify the government’s huge investment in the sub-sector even as he appreciated the Medical Officers of Health for contributing to the success stories of primary healthcare in Ondo state but warned that anyone that performed below expectation shall henceforth be changed.
Also Speaking, the Director, Disease control and Immunization, Dr Victor Adefesoye encouraged the LG Co-ordinators to be more alive to their responsibilities by being more committed to ensuring that all health indicators in their various local government areas record 100 percent success.
In separate interviews, the Akure South LG Director of PHC Dr Adeyemi Osowe and his Akoko Northeast counterpart, Dr Rhoda Ige said the engagement voupled with the charge by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Akanbiemu had reinforced in them the zeal to make primary healthcare more impactful and result oriented
The one-day engagement was attended by some directors in the Ondo state Primary healthcare development agency including Mrs Folasade Ale, Director Finance, Mrs Doris Adekanle, Director Account, Dr Yetunde Olagbuji, Director, Research and statistics and Dr Paulinus Omode, Director of Medical services.
