Primary health care (PHC) is an essential element of the new concept of public health. It’s based on a quantitative assessment of various aspects of health problems and creating effective strategies to improve the situation.
Health care is one of the four pillars of governor Seyi Makinde’s manifesto, titled the Roadmap to Accelerated Development in Oyo State 2019-2023.
Recalling the statement of the governor on November 27 2019 during budget presentation where he said the budget captures the aspirations of the good people of Oyo State, he laid emphasis on health programme and this is showing by revitalizing the PHC service system, the governor have started with the strengthening of a minimum of one PHC per ward and he is focusing on renovating and equipping 351 PHCs in the state as this started with the Public Health Centre in Oranyan and he used that as a standard for the subsequent renovations.
The governor equipped the Oranyan PHC with medical equipments, furniture, solar power installation and a 40kva diesel generator, which had been abandoned for 10 years.
Primary Health Care (PHC) is a grass-root management approach to providing health care services to communities.
Governor Seyi Makinde recalled that Primary Health Care is founded on the interconnecting principles of equity, access, empowerment, community self-determination and intersectoral collaboration. He noted that the PHC encompasses an understanding of the social, environmental, economic, cultural and political determinants of health and with this he ensured that Oyo State Health Insurance Agency, which have been able to register 58,000 more beneficiaries for health insurance in the past year want more people to be captured under Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme. As the Cost-Benefit Analysis has shown, the average out-of-pocket payment for healthcare is N50,000/annum per resident of Oyo State.
With healthcare insurance, you pay N8,000, which is a significant reduction of 84%.
The good vision of Governor Seyi Makinde has also made him to follow the policy of paying counterpart funding wherever it is required. Oyo State paid a sum of N250 million as state counterpart fund for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRIN), a World Bank project which will enable good health care delivery in the state.
In order to ensure good quality health care delivery to the good people of the state, the governor paid a sum of N100 million as state counterpart fund on the Basic Health Care Fund project. He also paid N19 million counterpart fund for the Integrated Medical Outreach Program by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
It was Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti who worked assiduously between 1985 and 1992 to implement PHC policy based on the Alma Ata Declaration for the benefit of the Nigerian population and Governor Seyi Makinde sees more light in the work of Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti who introduced a comprehensive national health policy with a focus on PHC which placed emphasis on preventive medicine and health-care services at the grass root, ensured exclusive breast feeding practice, introduced free immunization to children, encouraged the use of oral rehydration therapy by nursing mothers, made compulsory the recording of maternal deaths, and encouraged continuous nationwide vaccination and pioneered effective HIV/AIDS campaign. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) which was established in 1992 to ensure that the PHC agenda is continued and sustained has been very helpful and supportive to the fulfilment of the intention of Governor Seyi Makinde o health care delivery in Oyo State.
The impact of local government administration on the people in very crucial in ensuring the good delivery of health care to the people.
Governor Seyi Makinde Administration is doing everything to ensure that the Alma Ata declaration on 8 essential components of primary healthcare reach the people of Oyo State.
The essential Components are:
1.Education about prevailing health problems and how to prevent and control them
2.Food supply and proper nutrition
3.Adequate supply of safe water and basic sanitation
4.Immunisation against infectious diseases
5.Prevention and control of endemic diseases
6.Treatment of common infections
7. Maternal and child health, Family planning
8.Essential drugs
Conclusively, Governor Seyi Makinde Administration is out to to ensure the Primary Health Care framework which is built on four key pillars are well utilised by fostering and strengthening the delivery of health and wellness care, community participation,inter-sectoral coordination, use of appropriate Technology and well support mechanism made available. People of Arowomole, Okeho, Iresa-adu, Okaka, Igbeti, Sepeteri, Kinnira, Kisi, Ayete, Tede, Jobele, Iwere-le, Ago Are, Saki, Ojongbondu, Ikoyi-ile Kosobo, Eruwa, Idi-ayunre, Akanran, Ajawa, Iyanna-ofa, Duo, Mapo, Ring road, Agodi-gate, Moniya, Ofa-meta, Onireke, Iwo road and Otu will once again feel the good health positive outlook of Governor Seyi Makinde Administration.
Oresanwo Abidemi (Health Worker)
