Ogun moves to check spread of oral diseases, appoints Lemo as oral health ambassador

Apparently disturbed by prevalence of oral diseases in the state, especially at the grassroots, the Ogun state government has concluded plans to establish mobile oral health services that will provide medical screening and treatment for the patients suffering from oral diseases, just as it proposes to integrate oral health into Primary Healthcare.

Consequently, the State government has begun massive rehabilitation and equipment of the State-owned Dental centres in major cities, including Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode, Ota, Sagamu and Ilaro as well as the overhauling of oral health services which has led to the appointment of Tunde Lemo, former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria as Oral health ambassador.

Speaking at a press conference heralding World Health Day in Ogun state held in Abeokuta on Wednesday, Olaokun Soyinka, Commissioner for Health, disclosed that the State government, having domesticated National Oral Health Policy, decided to overhaul the State oral health services even at the grassroots through the establishment of mobile oral health services as part of preventive measures.

Soyinka said that the government had employed more dentists in addition to the upgrade of five Dental centres across the major cities in the state, which he said, would go a long way in solving oral diseases, but however revealed that State government appointed Tunde Lemo as ambassador as a way of sourcing support from potential financial institutions and individuals.

He said, “In our bid to increase the quality of oral health care, Government has employed more dentists in the state and upgraded our dental centres in Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ota, Ijebu-Ode and Ilaro. Over the coming months we will continue our programme on Primary Oral Health Care, that is, to take Oral Health to the grassroots by making preventive and some treatment services available at the Primary care level.

“In addition, we have integrated Primary Oral Care into our Community-Based Insurance Scheme package so that those enrol will benefit from free Primary Oral Health services. To complement this, we shall be establishing mobile oral health services that will go around, especially to underserved areas, to provide screening and some treatments.

“These activities have a huge financial implication and if we are to do them in a short space of time, Government will benefit from assistance, therefore, with the assistance of our Ambassador, we are embarking on a programme to reach out to sources of potential support”, he concluded.

Also speaking, Olaoluwa Lawson, senior special assistant to the Governor on Health, who also supervises the Oral Health programme, noted that government had put in place all the required equipment and personnel for the Oral Health campaign, saying: “Out dream is to integrate oral health into the Primary Healthcare and we are already doing it. A lot of training and retraining are going on to equip our medical personnel to practise effectively”.

RAZAQ AYINLA