Fayemi’s Success Story In The Health Sector

September 15, 2012

APPARENTLY aware of the importance of an effective health care delivery system to its mission of eradicating poverty, the administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi has in the last 20 months put the health sector on the front burner, having been allocated 14 per cent in this year’s budget.

The governor had in its mission statement said: “The vision is clear, the mission is here. It is to make poverty history in our land.

“While it is going to be a daunting task, it is not insurmountable challenge to move beyond our most recent wounds. In fact, our only choice is to continue on the path of reconciliation and renewal towards a model state because Ekiti is bigger than us all.”

Almost 20 months in the saddle, it has been a success story for the health sector. While the administration cannot claim to have achieved all it has set to do in the sector, it has indeed scored many goals, as it has recorded in other sectors.

For instance, due to its numerous health programmes, the current Human Development Report said: “Ekiti State is the most conducive environment to live, for long and healthy living, with a life expectancy average of 55 years, more than the national life expectancy average of 50 years.”

Besides, the latest MDG Report (2012) circulated by the Federal Ministry of Health scored Ekiti high in healthcare delivery.

According to the report, Ekiti has the second lowest infant mortality rate in the country, for which the ministry commended the state for doing what no other state is doing on health care in the country.

Ekiti is the only state doing free health, 100 per cent, to its pregnant women and covering 45 per cent of the state’s population under its free health programme. It is the only state that has in place, a social security programme by which it takes care of its elders.

The impressive report posted by the Fayemi administration flows from its health care policy, under which government is providing free medical services to pregnant women, children under the age of five years, physically challenged and the aged above 65 years.

Two comprehensive centres have been designated in the 16 councils for this programme, which are daily visited by the people, with cases beyond the capacity of the centres referred to the tertiary health institutions in the state at no cost to the patients.

To ensure the success of the free health programme, the wife of the governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, is using the electronic media to sensitise the people, particularly pregnant women, to take advantage of the programme.

This is in addition to her personal sensitisation programme under the auspices of her Foundation from time to time.

Closely related is the quarterly Free Health Mission being held throughout the state, which, unlike the Free Health programme, covers all categories of people, with numerous diseases treated by a team of medical personnel recruited for the purpose.

The programme, which has been held in all the council headquarters, has been lauded by the people of the state.

Initiated by Fayemi during his electioneering campaign, it was later incorporated into the state health policy and treated over 146,573 patients of diverse ailments last year alone.

So far this year, over 300,000 patients have been attended to by the roving team of medical personnel, with a full complement of medical personnel, including consultants.

A fall out of the Mission is the Free Eye Surgery being carried out at the University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, under which over 150 patients are currently undergoing surgical operations.

On maternal health, the government distributed 10,000 mama kits and consumables in January last year while patients with cleft lip and palette deformities benefitted from free corrective surgeries

To boost the morale of medical personnel, the state government implemented the new salary CONMESS/CONHESS for its medical workers in addition to massive recruitment to the health sector.

Also, hospital equipment including drugs worth N400million was procured for the various comprehensive health centres across the state.

It is on record that last year; many communities in the state came out to laud the state government for the rehabilitation of health centres and general hospitals across the state.

For indigenes of the state suffering from serious diseases such as kidney failure among others, the state government established Medical Assistance Fund through which funds were given to indigenes of the state to go medical treatment abroad.

In the area of drug supply, the state government procured compounding equipments for the pharmacy department of the Specialist hospitals in Ikole while nine new facilities were capitalised through the UDRF. Also, the state Central Medical store took delivery World Bank assisted HSDP II.

To strengthen capacity for effective health service delivery, a total of 4,535 health workers were trained in various segments of health care delivery, making the state comparable in the area of training with Lagos state, in the entire country.

Ambulance services is not left out, as the administration procured branded ambulances for emergency mobility of patients in addition to the procurement of Nokia phones and the deployment of a two-way radio communication system.

The human resource component of the ambulance service is being worked out through an inter-agency approach involving the Ministry of Health, Hospitals’ Management Board (HMB) and Primary Health Care Development Agency (EKSPHCDA)

The government also brought to bear the health sector its qualitative impact on the education sector with the state’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, recording 90 per cent success in national examination of Schools of Nursing and Midwifery.

The administration completed and commissioned an auditorium at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ado-Ekiti. At the College of Health Technology, Ijero, the state constructed an administrative block in addition to the ongoing 200-bed hotels.

Ado-Ekiti, a laboratory extension block was completed to strengthen tertiary health service, apart from a new Accident and Emergency Block under construction in the hospital.

The government has in the last 20 months completed the construction of the State Health Data Bank to house and disseminate all health data, procured 34 motorcycles to facilitate data collection.

On maternal health, the state government distributed 10,000 mama kits and consumables in January last year while patients with cleft lip and palette deformities benefitted from free corrective surgeries.

By Ifedayo Sayo

Sayo is a media aide to Fayemi. This article was first published in The Guardian on 15 September, 2012.

Last modified: September 15, 2012

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