In the last three years and eight months, Abu Micheal, looks at the efforts of Governor Idris Wada in repositioning the health sector in the State.
It is the most prized possession of every human. No wonder, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once said, “A wise man should consider health as the greatest of human blessing. Governments institutions are very crucial to health care delivery in most parts of the world where majority of the people live below the poverty index.
It is under this context that and the Captain Idris Wada’s health care policies need to be judged and appreciated in the last few years when judged against paucity of funds.
Health the say is wealth has remained the flagship of the Wada administration. there is no gain saying the fact that when compared to past administration, Wada’s effort is unparalleled. Today, every town, village and Ward in the state, under the Wada administration, can boost or have a visible presence of a health institution.
The Wada’s health initiative had the last four years the free rural medical program usually carried out in conjunction with Ceedio medical outreach. Under this program, a team of medical experts visit every nook and cranny of the State to give free treatment to the sick.
In 2013 for example, 115,000 people were treated freely. About 600,000 persons have so far received free treatment under this package. This number of beneficiaries did not include the surgeries, eye treatment and other intervention contained in the rural program. Home and abroad, the state government’s rural health program has been adjudged as superlative and a laudable initiative.
Also the commencement of the flag-off and introduction of pentavalent vaccine by the Wada administration greatly assisted in the fight to eradicate polio in the State. Routine immunizations among other primary health care activities under the Wada administration has remained unrivaled. As at today, the state remains polio free since 2010, and winning many laurels for its consistency.
So far all existing health facilities in the state have been strengthened through standard equipment purchase. New general and cottage hospitals have also been constructed across the State.
The Wada administration must be commended for its massive renovation and rehabilitation of General Hospitals across the State. This effort was also accompanied with the purchase of standard hospital equipments to enable them carry out primary and secondary function of meeting the health needs of the people.
The on-going construction of Kogi State Diagnostic and Imaging Centre Lokoja that is at ninety percent completed, and the on-going massive equipping of the centre at Lokoja, when completed would assist greatly in the diagnosis of ailments by medical practitioners, also re-enforces the importance the present administration attaches to the health needs of the people.
Mention must also be made about the rehabilitation of the State Central Medical Stores Lokoja, with the purpose of making health institutions across the state constantly in supply of drugs and stocked with essential drugs on a revolving basis.
The upgrade in the infrastructures at all the State School of Midwifery, alongside government’s support for the accreditation of courses in those institutions to enable them award ND and HND certificates is worthy of mention. Similarly, the establishment of the school of Medicine at the State University Ayingba by the Wada led administration is another bold initiatives, indicative that words were matched with action by the administration to better reposition the health sector in the state in the last few years.
The release of funds for the upgrade of the Diagnostic and Reference Hospital Ayingba to a Teaching Hospital even as work is speedily on going at the permanent site of the University Teaching Hospital is another efforts of the Wada administration that should not go unnoticed.
The National Blood Transfusion Service Centre has now been renovated and serviced with inverter Batteries and other power supply sources in Lokoja.
The massive employment of a large pool of Medical and Health Personnel made up of Doctors, Nurses and other Paramedics, into the health sector of the State is Captain Wada’s avowed commitment to the well being and good health care of the people.
Captain Wada’s policy of also distributing long lasting insecticidal mosquito nets across the State, is another major interventions of the administration aimed at tackling malaria.
Furthermore,the Wada’s administration’s prompt payment of all its counterpart funds for HIV/AIDS related activities and in other enhanced health care delivery counterpart services signed by the State, was another recognition the present administration in the State placed in ensuring that citizens are healthy.
When compared with their peers in other states, Health workers in the State are no doubt motivated through prompt payment of allowances as well as the sustained payment of CONMESS/CONHESS salary structure.
There was also a deliberate emphasis on capacity building for health care givers in the State under the Wada led administration. The free distribution of child health cards, is another government’s measure aimed at improving the lives of its people under the health sector.
With this efforts of the Capt Idris Wada led administration, the administration when compared to others that governed the state has no doubt remained unparalleled in the state’s history in its first four years in office.
The State’s rating as it concern reduction in infant and maternal mortality is about the least in the North Central geopolitical zone, an indication that Wada’s efforts yielded fruitful result.
For a government that never rested on its oars as regards the health needs of its people, it is only hoped that the administration’s efforts would be sustained by successive administration.
Without doubt, the achievements made in the health sector under the leadership of Captain Idris Wada, when compared to those before it remains unparalleled. this is even against the background that it made the record breaking achievements amidst dwindling and scarce resources.
By Micheal Abu,
Chief Press Secretary to Kogi State Deputy Governor.
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