…urges increased collaboration to preserve environment, protect health
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his administration remains committed to upgrading Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCS) in the state, equipping them with world-class equipment and manpower to guarantee an efficient healthcare system in the state.
Obaseki gave the assurance in commemoration of this year’s World Health Day marked by the United Nations and its sister agencies with the theme, ‘Our planet, Our health.’
The governor, who described the theme of this year’s celebration as apt, called for accelerated action by stakeholders to preserve the environment, ensuring the health and wellbeing of citizens.
Obaseki noted, “This year’s World Health Day presents yet another opportunity to increase awareness on the need to step up global efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of citizens, ensuring the preservation of nature which is the source for replenishing human health.
“The COVID-19 outbreak exposed the gaps in global health systems, highlighting the need to reinvent healthcare delivery and build more resilient systems, guaranteeing policies to protect our health and the environment. This is necessary to prevent future outbreaks and secure future generations.”
“As a government, we have taken critical steps to ensure a healthier environment and will sustain investment in preserving the health, safety and environment of our people.”
He continued: “We have started the process of making Edo the cleanest and the greenest city in Nigeria. We are also decentralizing our healthcare system, ensuring our people have access to healthcare services that are equitable and affordable and as close to where they live and work as possible.
“Our plan is to have at least one primary healthcare centre in every ward in Edo with well-trained staff and technology that tracks the quality of service rendered, with specialized healthcare facilities to take care of patients referred from the primary healthcare centres.
“With the health insurance scheme now operational, we are building a superstructure to provide a strong capital base for the sustenance of the healthcare system, while providing our people with a more democratized system of accessing quality and affordable healthcare.”“We have also completed the construction and have secured the accreditation of the world-class Edo State College of Nursing Sciences, a model tertiary education institution that has been primed to produce top-of-the-range health personnel,” Obaseki added.
