Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on Tuesday said that his administration would soon begin the disbursement of grants and facilities to the 236 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the State.
That, he said, would ensure that the Primary Health Centres meet the requirements of the World Health Organization.
Governor Abiodun stated this when he received the executive members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), who were in the State for their 44th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference.
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He said, “We have grants and facilities from multilateral organizations that we are going to begin to expend very soon, which will allow us to have a minimum of 236 primary health care centers built in line with the requirements of the World Health Organization.”
Governor Abiodun further stated that his administration would continue to invest not just in primary health care centers, but also in secondary and tertiary health care institutions, adding that the State would also continue to invest in the training of doctors as well as in human capital development.
He noted that about one hundred primary health care centres equipped with solar energy, digital communication equipment, and digital record-keeping systems for maintaining patient records had been renovated by his administration.
While adding that his administration has continuously paid the hazard allowances of doctors in the State, Governor Abiodun also stated that he had approved the payment of the accoutrements and the clinical duty allowances.
The governor urged the Association to continue to meet so they could share knowledge and experiences, coming up with ways to improve the health sector.
“I want to encourage you to continue to meet like this and to discuss among each other so that you can share knowledge, share experiences, and come up with ways and means to improve health care delivery.
“And when you come up with these resolutions, those of us in government would like for you to forward them to us so we can give you the needed support,” he said.
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He noted that his administration had begun the implementation of its health insurance scheme, which had been very successful with the organized private sector and civil service affected.
Earlier, Dele Abdullahi, the outgoing National President of NARD, noted that one of the problems plaguing the Association was the migration of doctors outside the country in addition to inter-state migration.
Abdulahi, while thanking Governor Abiodun for his giant strides in the health sector, urged the governor to help the Association curb inter-state migration with the introduction of car and housing loans.
“One of the problems that are plaguing doctors in Nigeria, which affects our Association a lot, is the migration of doctors.
“But of peculiar importance is not just the migration outside of the country but inter-state migration. It is one of the major problems that we have been noting, whereby we have the influx to other States,” he said.
