TheCable

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, says  a larger percentage of the 721 primary healthcare centres in his state are not functioning well.

The governor said he has visited almost all the healthcare centres and most of them are not in good condition.

During a courtesy visit to Lamidi Adeyemi, alaafin of Oyo, on Wednesday, Makinde said his government will provide N1 billion to start a campaign in fixing the health facilities.

“People may ask why we are not focusing on secondary or tertiary health facilities. Primary health care is the closest to the people and it is not every disease that should take us to secondary or tertiary health centres,” he said.

“Health is one of the pillars that this administration is standing on and primary health care is even more important because we have about 721 PHC facilities in Oyo state.

“I have visited a couple of them and majority of them are not in good condition. We just came back from Awe. The PHC there has been upgraded into a temporary isolation facility but once COVID-19 passes over us, then it becomes a standard primary health care centre that will serve the people of Awe.

“Out of the 721 health care facilities that we have, I don’t think 10% of them are useful. So, we set a very tough task for ourselves. Within the time frame given to this administration, you will get, in every ward in Oyo State, standard primary health care facilities like this. We have commissioned that of Oranyan and another one at Eyin Grammar.

“We have this one coming on board and another one is in Awe but we need money to do this. We have been looking at the pocket of the government.

“To start with, we are providing N1 billion to start the campaign and we have also put an agreement in place to find means, on a monthly basis, to continue that campaign. We have asked the local government service commission, being its responsibility, that 7.5% of its statutory allocation should be dedicated to primary health care centres.”

Muideen Olatunji, the executive secretary of  the state’s primary heathcare board also said the health centres have suffered neglect for close to two decades.

On his part, the monarch urged the government to do everything it can to revamp the primary healthcare sector, promising to continue to back the governor to deliver good governance to the state.

”Whatever you can do, do it. The conception of the primary health care system was developed in Russia. So, I understand too well that it is a policy that can be maintained and sustained if there is the will by the government and the people,” he said.

The governor also spoke on the decision to site a mobile police base in Oke Ogun area of the state.

He said in September, he secured the nod of the inspector-general of police to site a base in Oke Ogun to stem kidnapping and other crimes.