On Thursday, the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, revealed that over 500 patients had benefited from the free surgical intervention programme within the last week.
Governor Abiodun disclosed the details during the courtesy visit paid by the medical committee team, which is made up of the Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of the Federal Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria, at his office in Oke-Moosan, Abeokuta.
The governor noted that “the free surgery programme was designed to provide succour to the poor and vulnerable who could not afford medical bills at this difficult time.“
Adding to that, since 2019, his administration has undergone a lot of processes to improve the healthcare sector in the Gateway State.
In a remarkable statement shared on the Osun State Government X handle, he noted that a free health insurance programme known as Ilera Dero and the Ibidero meant for women has been extended to children, the poor, and the vulnerable.
He also encouraged them to walk into any of the Osun State primary, secondary, or tertiary healthcare centres to get themselves registered.
“We have also implemented our health insurance programme called Ilera Dero and the Ibidero for women. As of now, because of the prevalent economic situation, we have decided that all our women and children, the poor and vulnerable, should go to our primary healthcare centres and secondary or tertiary hospitals in the state. We will register them under our Free Health Insurance Programme.
“Our pregnant women, when they go to the hospital, get free prenatal and postnatal attention. After they go to bed, they also get N10,000,” the governor stated
It was revealed by the state governor that a database will be created to tackle the outbreak of disease and easily determine the extent of a future spread, as well as to keep proper records of family members from the grassroots when the need arises.
“The state is creating a database that would track a family or community and the kind of disease prevalent among them, as well as compiling records at the grassroots that would enable the government to predict prevalent diseases that are in the family, community, or area and treat them appropriately,” he said.
The governor further noted while speaking on the situation at the 250-bed hospital located at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, that “his administration is collaborating with a partner, as part of its medical architecture, to run and make it a centre of medical excellence, to engender medical tourism in the country.”
Additionally, he reiterated that “medical institutions in the state are wearing new looks as his government has employed a large number of medical personnel and purchased new equipment to make them render quality service to the people.”
The state helmsman explained that there is no difference between the state’s Ministry of Health and the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta, as both ministries solve issues together.
“We do not see the difference between the FMC, Abeokuta, and our own Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), because when there is a problem, we rush the patient to the nearest available medical facility. This has, over the years, helped us in dealing with difficult situations,” the state helmsman described.
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He however appreciated the committee for organising the meeting, noting “that it would help them review each other’s research, development, and new techniques that could be of assistance in dealing with different types of illnesses and diseases.”
Earlier, the chairman of the committee and Chief Medical Director, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Prof. Emem Bassey, hailed Governor Abiodun for investing in the health sector, stressing the need for increased funding, the recruitment of different categories of health workers, and the renovation of over 100 primary healthcare centres across the state.
However, he mentioned that “the committee members, consisting of all heads of federal medical institutions, were in the state for its 106th regular meeting to review and learn from each other to impact positively in their different hospitals at the end of the meeting.“
