Edo deputy governor, Mr Dennis Idahosa, on Thursday, said that the Monday Okpebholo-led administration had initiated policies and reforms that would ensure a sustainable healthcare delivery system.
Idahosa stated this while presiding over the second meeting of the State Taskforce on Primary Health Care (PHC), at the New Festival Hall, Government House in Benin.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Mr. Friday Aghedo, the meeting included the taskforce members, stakeholders, and developmental partners.
In his keynote address, the deputy governor called for societal vigilance and surveillance to help curtail the effects of the outbreak of Dengue Fever and Diphtheria.
He mentioned that the state was putting up concerted efforts at building a responsive and resilient PHC system.
The deputy governor encouraged members of the taskforce to be solutions-driven, as well as being instruments of change in their quest to disseminate, enlighten, and champion a result-driven health process that benefits locals across the eighteen local government areas.
Idahosa noted that the plan was to make primary healthcare the most accessible form of healthcare in the state to aid better maternal and health outcomes.
He singled out and commended the Egor Local Government Area chairman, Kelvin Eguaekun, for his concerted efforts to network and maintain cleanliness in his council area.
Idahosa announced the state government’s move to implement a reward system for local government chairmen who played critical roles in their domains by disseminating and implementing processes that showcased the benefits of a cleaner environment to drive down diseases.
Amongst chairmen who pledged to implement the reached decisions at the stakeholders meeting included Hon. Haruna Mohammed of Owan East and Hon. Joy Ohonyor of Owan West.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole explained measures that had been put in place to combat the outbreak of Diphtheria.
He said that the intervention of the governor, the state, had made donations of medical supplies to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
He listed the medical supplies to include hospital beds, mattresses, oxygen cylinders, intravenous fluids, and erythromycin, among others.
Dr. Oshiomhole also mentioned that the state received support for twenty doses of Diphtheria antitoxins from the Delta State Government.
“We also want to commend the UBTH, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and development partners such as UNICEF, and WHO for their collaborative efforts and provision of technical support to combat the disease.
“NCDC provided the state with diphtheria antitoxins and intravenous erythromycin and other logistics.
“Im addition, NCDC team is presently on ground to do a verbal autopsy of some of the current victims of the Diphtheria outbreak,” he stated.
He noted that the state was also faced with dengue fever which had led to the emphasis on the need for a cleaner environment.
He also stressed the fact that Lassa Fever outbreak could be controlled to an extent through environmental cleanliness.
The commissioner explained the reactive vaccination for teens from ages 5-14 in schools based on the outbreak of Diphtheria in six council areas of the state.
He harped on the need for contact tracing in neighborhoods and schools to track and vaccinate high-risk people, front liners, and high-risk personalities in society.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (EDSPHCDA), Dr. Coulsen Oisokhai, called for collaborations with civil society organisations and development partners to strengthen relationships.
Speaking on behalf of implementing partners, Dr. Nora Eyo of the WHO harped on vaccine hesitancy as a major challenge faced in Edo State.
She pointed out the prevalence of waste dumps in residential buildings in the state as a challenge to sound health.