The government of Edo State has revealed that it would collaborate with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to improve the state’s health care delivery, especially for those under 15 years of age in the state.
The state Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, made this disclosure as he received representatives of development partners, led by the state coordinator of health body, Mrs Faith Ireye, on a courtesy visit to Government House in Benin.
The governor expressed displeasure over the challenges confronting immunisation programmes in the state and pledged that his administration would leverage on the tools and approaches of WHO to get things done properly.
He said, “We want to work with you to deal with the challenges in our health sector. I am scared that if we do not begin to address the health and education challenges of the under-15 population, which constitutes a high percentage of the state’s population, we will be endangering our future”.
In addition, he expressed satisfaction towards WHO, for its renewed commitment to ensuring a healthy society assuring the health body that of his administration’s goal was to revamp the state’s health system via implementation of strategic policies to eliminate waste of resources.
On the purpose of the visit, Mrs Ireye noted that it was to intimate the governor on the organisation’s activities executed in 2016 in collaboration with the state ministry of health.
She said that the state was still faced with challenges in the implementation of its immunisation programmes and the management of Lassa fever.
Meanwhile, Ireye commended the governor for flagging off the 2017 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) in the state as it signified the state’s commitment towards eradicating vaccine preventable diseases.
She listed some of the challenges confronting immunisation activities in the state to include, lack of counterpart funding by the state and all LGAs for immunisation activities, inadequate funds for the state vaccine cold stores and no impress for immunisation-surveillance activities.
Mrs Ireye also called on the state to beef up sensitisation of the public on the outbreak of Lassa fever in some LGAs in the state.
A statement issued by chief press secretary, John Mayaki explained that the Governor invited the organisation to a proposed workshop on health that would be organised by the state in a week’s time.
