Quality, affordable healthcare my priority – Oyetola

Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun says quality and affordable healthcare delivery remains one of his top priorities for the masses in the state.

Oyetola said this during a community engagement programme organised by the state’s Engagement Centre on Tuesday in Onigangan town, Ayedire South Local Council Development Area.

Oyetola, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, said that huge investment had been made to revitalise the health sector and ensure restoration of healthy living among the people.

He said the administration had ensured rehabilitation and upgrading of 332 focal Primary Healthcare Centres across the state in a bid to provide affordable healthcare to the masses.

“We have also upgraded and rehabilitated several comprehensive health centres and general hospitals across the state to give adequate healthcare delivery at the local communities.”

“We had distributed drugs worth N50 million across the state Primary Healthcare facilities as well as several new beds to all health facilities across the state.”

“The Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, also got rapt attention with the;constructions of 30 units of doctors’ quarters, 120-bed ward, and the renovation of major complexes, wards and laboratories”, he said.

“We have also rehabilitated and revitalised 500,000 dollars comprehensive eye care centre, a joint project with the Lions Club International, Multiple District 404 Nigeria.”

“The initiative is aimed at offering ophthalmological, medical, surgical and optical comprehensive eye care services to the residents to scale up access to quality eye service.”

“To further boost quality healthcare delivery in the state, 69,273 cards were distributed to Osun Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS) beneficiaries.”

“Our administration has also taken it upon itself to ensure continued sensitisation of residents on the importance of vaccination against coronavirus,” Oyetola said.

He said another batch of two million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been made available for the people of the state to minimise the effect of the pandemic.

In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the state’s Primary Healthcare Board, Mr Adeleke Ogunsola, said there was no doubt the fact that the governor was passionate about quality healthcare delivery for the masses.

Ogunsola said: “He never gets tired of our incessant needs, always granting prompt approval of requests for counterpart funds for all our health programmes.”

Also speaking, the Baale Osunwoyin of Oke Osun, Mr Micheal Idowu, commended the governor for his giant strides in moving the state forward in the area of health, education, infrastructure and empowerment.

The Chairman of Ayedire Local Government, Mr Adigun Adejare, and his counterpart from the LCDA, Mr Femi Idowu, commended the governor for his various social intervention programmes and their positive impact on the people.