The slogan before the advent of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi administration in Ekiti was that "hospitals in the state are nothing but slaughter slabs." Today, the situation has changed as the health sector has been given a new lease of life.
Health Commissioner, Prof. Olusola Fasubaa, said it took concerted efforts and well-conceived plans to redress at the primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare levels.
(http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/New-ambulances-supplied-to-Ekiti-State-University-Teaching-Hospital-by-the-Fayemiled-administration-1024x459.jpg) (http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/New-ambulances-supplied-to-Ekiti-State-University-Teaching-Hospital-by-the-Fayemiled-administration.jpg)New ambulances supplied to Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital by the Fayemi-led administration While describing the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, EKSUTH, inherited by the Fayemi administration as a "glorified hospital," Fasubaa said: "Ideally, a teaching hospital is quite different from a general hospital. The teaching hospital is meant for research, service and training. The only thing they were doing in EKSUTH before now was service. The training aspect was nil, the research aspect was nil, even the service they were carrying out was not even optimal.
"So, we had to do structural auditing of the place, to the glory of God, EKSUTH is now functioning as a teaching hospital. At the performance level, it is making remarkable progress. There are a lot of changes in the functionality of the place, there are changes in the infrastructure of the place and I can hear some positive comments about what is going on there. That gladdens my heart," he said.
One interesting thing about the healthcare service delivery of the Fayemi administration in is its all-inclusive nature. All categories of persons are captured.
Pregnant women and children under five years, elderly citizens from 65 years and above, physically challenged persons and HIV/AIDS patients benefit from the administration's free health scheme in public health facilities.
For residents who are not in the above category, the administration has carefully designed sessions of periodic free health mission undertaken in the 16 council areas where patients benefit even from general treatments as well as screening for diabetes and hypertension among others.
(http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Governor-Fayemi-while-ccommissioning-the-Funmi-Adunni-Olayinka-Diagnostic-and-Wellness-Centre-built-in-memory-of-the-late-former-Deputy-Governor-in-Ado-Ekiti.-1024x506.jpg) (http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Governor-Fayemi-while-ccommissioning-the-Funmi-Adunni-Olayinka-Diagnostic-and-Wellness-Centre-built-in-memory-of-the-late-former-Deputy-Governor-in-Ado-Ekiti..jpg)Governor Fayemi while ccommissioning the Funmi Adunni Olayinka Diagnostic and Wellness Centre, built in memory of the late former Deputy Governor, in Ado-Ekiti. The Fayemi administration has also committed enormous resources to intervention programmes for people who are not able to pay their medical bills in the hospitals, both locally and abroad.
All these and many more are being done in line with Fayemi's mission statement in the health sector: Free medical services for children, pregnant women, the physically challenged and senior citizens, establishment of health centres in all locations and increased immunisation coverage, according to Health Commissioner, Prof. Olusola Fasubaa.
The health commissioner said the various programmes of the administration in the health sector were hinged on the governor's conviction that a healthy society is synonymous to a wealthy society.
He said: "Again, one of the greatest things that we have done is to find out those people that are actually in need, people that are sick that do not know. A lot of our people have burdens of disease that they are just carrying about, going to market, going to work without knowing. We find them out and give them the necessary medical attention."
Fasubaa said no fewer than 30 per cent of the population of Ekiti State had benefited from the free health mission which is in its eighth session which began in October in each of the 26 constituencies across the state.
The week-long mass screenings for cancer, hypertension and diabetes in June 2013 shortly after the former deputy governor, the late Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka, died of breast cancer, was another plus for the government as it revealed a lot of people, having cancer and other metabolic problems, thus saving their lives.
The commissioner said many of the breast cancer and other cases discovered in the course of the screening were treated, saying: "Many of them, you know women, keep all these to themselves as secrets, they will not consult doctors on time, the few ones that we were able to get at the early stage, we operated the breast cancers at EKSUTH and State Specialist Hospital, Ikere-Ekiti."
This intervention programme was followed by the establishment of Funmilayo Adunni Olayinka Diagnostic and Wellness Centre in EKSUTH to honour the memories of the late deputy governor and as well screen for cancers – cervix and breast – and to also follow up on men who may have cancers.
According to Fasubaa, the diagnostic centre is equipped with six machines – a mammogram machine that would be used to screen and diagnose breast cancers there, a machine to scan for cancer of the cervix, another one that will look into the heart and look into other structures in the abdomen and even in the chest to pick up solid masses and diagnose heart disorders, as well as some screening tools to screen for various illnesses, among others.
The commissioner said the centre "is essentially designed to take care of chronic disorders like hypertension, diabetes and cancer. Our people can just walk in there anytime and either by referral or non-referral."
For effective service delivery and sustainability, the state government is trying to understudy two private initiatives to ensure improved services and as well considering transferring the centre to the private sector for more efficiency.
Other programmes of the administration in the sector included free distribution of drugs and consumables; and procurement and distribution of hospital equipment such as 150 hospital beds, 34 modern delivery beds, three units of dental chairs, generators, distribution of 10,000 mama kits and consumables to pregnant women, among others.
Other key achievements of the administration in the health sector include: Free distribution of drugs and consumables worth N35,846,860; Procurement and distribution of 34 Laptops, 16 units of 10KVA Elipaq Generators, 24 Haematocrit Centrifuges, 8 Scanning Machines, 34 Modern Delivery Beds, 150 Hospital Bed, 10 units of Solar Freezers and 3 units of Dental Chairs; Free Health Mission that was launched which cut across the three senatorial districts of the state thousands of beneficiaries; Medical Assistance to the needy Patients worth N72,022,212; Prosthetics worth N18,000,000.00 distributed to the physically challenged people.
Others include capitalisation of nine new facilities through the United Drug Revolving Fund (UDRF) Scheme; Supply of drugs worth N40,356,637.00 to the UDRF centre from World Bank assisted HSDP II for free health programmes; Implementation of New Salary structure (CONMESS/CONHESS) for Health workers; Construction of three Mother and Child Hospitals; Employment of Doctors, Nurses and other Specialists; Supply of Medical Equipment to all Primary Health facilities in the state; Establishment of the Funmi Olayinka Diagnostic and Wellness Centre.
The administration has also recorded landmark achievements in the secondary and primary healthcare delivery systems.
The exploits in the primary level where basic things like primary healthcare and certain ailments like malaria, fevers, diarrhoea, diseases and immunisations are taken care of definitely account for the good indices in maternal and child healthcare.
According to the Health Commissioner, Ekiti has the lowest maternal mortality rate, i.e the state has the least number of women dying in pregnancy in the country. Ekiti has the best data in infant mortality i.e. it has the least number of children dying within one year of age. Also, for the under five, Ekiti has the best. In the rate of utilisation of the primary health care, Ekiti has the best. For life expectancy rate, Ekiti has the best with 55 years.
Fasubaa, however, said the state was not resting on its oars as it is still working round the clock in the primary healthcare delivery sector to improve on the indices, saying: "By the year 2015, we expect that our maternal mortality rate in the country should be less than 35 per 100,000 live births. But right now, despite the fact that we are the best, we are still ranging between 158 and 180 per 100,000 live births.
In the secondary sector, the state government, with a budget of N1billion has begun the renovation of 18 hospitals across the 16 council areas and the construction of two new ones at Ilawe Ekiti and Ilejemeje Ekiti, as well as making efforts to complete the Oba Adejugbe Hospital in Ado-Ekiti.
To ensure that Ekiti people now enjoy modern technology, the state government has promised to equip the hospitals after completion of the renovations and construction to ensure a break from the obsolete equipment at the medical facilities which were built and equipped in the 1960s.
The health commissioner, who said the state was striving to provide necessary incentives in addition to the CONMESS and CONHESS being given to medical and health workers at the secondary and tertiary levels to boost their morale, lauded the doctors and nurses working in the state.
Looking back, he said: "By and large, we have improved access to all our people in terms of spread of all our hospitals and basic health centres. We have that wide coverage to ensure that our people have access to qualitative healthcare services. We are also ensuring that our women and children are taken care of by professionals who actually know what they are doing."
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