Wada bringing healthcare delivery closer to the doorsteps of the people

Last Thursday, Kogi State Governor, Capt Wada paid scheduled visit to inspect on going work at the 65 bed cottage hospital at Ikuehi, Ihima, Okehi LGA. The cottage hospital is among numerous others that the state government is building with a view to bringing primary healthcare delivery to the door steps of the people in the state.

The admirable health care policies of Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State can best be judged and appreciated when viewed against the attention the administration has made towards improving and rebuilding infrastructures in the that Sector.

Health they say is wealth. It is undoubtedly every human’s most prized treasure. The best institutions equipped to ensure that man's health is the greatest of his blessings are the government institutions
Governor Idris Wada since coming on board in 2012, has not shied away from his commitment to the health and welfare of the people of the State.

Capt Wada from his administration's policies has carefully cultivated and actively nourished infrastructures that can help improve the health needs of the people of the state.

The visit to inspect on going projects in different parts of the state by the governor is not only a regular feature of the Wada's administration, such visits help in ensuring the quality delivery of project as they also underscore the attention and the several efforts the administration is committing to the health sector.

Governor Wada while at Ikeuhi, used the opportunity to reinforce his administration's commitment to the health and welfare needs of the people.

Capt Wada said his administration will continue to give priority attention to Health based projects in view of the need to bring healthcare service delivery closer to mostly rural dwellers.

According to the governor, the normal healthcare service delivery programme would be sustained for the benefit of the people of the State and he expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work at the Cottage Hospital.

The Governor commended the contractor, Alhaji Sanusi Abubakar,  CEO of Ganiji Nigeria Limited for attaining the level of work without collecting the usual mobilization fee before commencing the project.

He said the Ikuehi Cottage Hospital is the first he was inspecting among the three similar special cottage hospitals that are on going in the three Senatorial Districts of the State. He urged other contractors to emulate the contractor's enormous support for the State Government in it's efforts towards meeting its targets of providing quality health care delivery to the people amidst dwindling financial challenge in the country.

The governor during the inspection directed the removal and possible re-location of the Block of classrooms, located in front of the Hospital building, to pave way for free entry and exit into the hospital premises.

Governor Wada disclosed that in the course of building the hospital government constructed a bore hole for the use of the people of the area, and urged them to make proper use of the facility.
The Governor commended the Ohi of Ihima for providing a suitable land for the construction of the hospital and called for collaboration between government and institutions at all levels for the benefit of the people.

The Governor expressed gratitude to the people of the Central Senatorial District for their prayers and support to his administration, assuring that his administration has been prudent in managing scarce resources in the face of economic realities.

Governor Wada assured that his administration will continue to be honest and sincere in managing the affairs of the state and do its best in offering good governance to the State.

A notable flagship programme of the Wada administration in the area of health is the free medical care programme. For example, in 2013, about 115,000 people were treated freely. This number does not include the surgeries,eye treatment and other interventions contained in the rural programme.

Similarly, the commencement, flag-off and introduction of pentavalent vaccine by the Wada administration has greatly assisted in the fight to eradicate polio in the State. The state since 2010 remains polio free.

All existing health facilities in the state are being strengthened through standard equipment purchase even as new general and cottage hospitals are being constructed across the State.
The state presently has five Zonal hospitals in Idah, Ayingba, Ankpa, Kabba and Okene.

Worthy of mention under the Wada administration is the massive renovation and rehabilitation of all General Hospitals across the State.  This is also accompanied with the purchase of standard hospital equipments to enable them carry out primary and secondary functions of meeting the health needs of the people.

The on-going construction, and massive equipping, of the Kogi State Diagnostic and Imaging Centre Lokoja, when completed is expected to assist greatly in the diagnosis of ailments by medical practitioners.

Mention must also be made about the rehabilitation of the State Central Medical Stores Lokoja and the efforts in renovating the National Blood Transfusion Service Centre.

Furthermore, government's support for the upgrade in the infrastructures going on at  the Schools of Nursing and Midwifery, Egbe, Yagba West Council, while also providing additional staff to the ECWA Hospital, Egbe on government's head cost, is worth mentioning. Similarly,  accreditation of courses in institutions to enable them award ND and HND certificates is another bold step at improving the heath sector of the state.  Again, the school of Medicine at the State University Ayingba is now operational while the University Teaching Hospital is under construction.

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 part of Captain Wada’s avowed commitment to the well being and good health care of the people.

The policy of also distributing long lasting insecticidal mosquito nets across the State, an intervention aimed at tackling malaria, an increasingly endemic disease in tropical Africa cannot be over stressed. This is further complemented with the 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.