The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 has described the efforts of the Ogun State Government towards curtailing the coronavirus pandemic as exemplary, assuring that the Federal Government will adequately refund the state for its expenses on the outbreak.
This was made known when the PTF delegations on Covid-19 paid a courtesy call on Governor Dapo Abiodun after visiting the Ministry of Health in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, to interface with the state on how its strides can be replicated in other states.
Led by Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, the PTF said Ogun State is an example when it comes to doing things right on Covid-19.
The Task Force also recommended that other states should learn about the coping and flattening strategies of Ogun State adopted when it had the unfortunate situation of recording the index case of the pandemic in February.
Dr. Shauib acknowledged the innovative deployment of technology by the State to fight the pandemic. He pointed out that the use of existing structure in Ogun to fight coronavirus pictured the gospel the PTF has been preaching to various states in the country.
He also noted that the present administration in the Gateway State had effectively put the three levels of healthcare to use with the recent renovation of 20 Primary Health Centre (PHC) in each of its local government areas.
According to the Team Leader, the history of Covid-19 in Nigeria is not complete without the significant role of Ogun State. We will ensure that funds that are supposed to come here are made available in order to further strengthen your structure.
“The Presidential Taskforce is visiting Ogun state not because there is a crisis in the management of Covid19, not because we see any evidence of gaps in the outbreak response, but to commend the effort of Ogun State for the way they have managed the outbreak response. Ogun state is a good example of doing the right things when it comes to the Covid19”, he said.
The PTF, he said “is happy with response of Ogun State to the outbreak, and the Federal Government will be supporting Ogun State with funding because the State took on the burden of the outbreak from when it started in February. We noticed some of the steps that Ogun State took and the cost of those steps.”
“We have seen a very good coordination of your response to Covid-19. We are glad that Ogun State has created different context on the management of the outbreak.
“It is commendable that you have domesticated your strategies in line with the peculiarities of various communities and you have ensured that your frontline health workers are taken care of,” he said.
The PTF Team Leader, who also commended the declining rate of infant mortality in the state, said that it is one of the lowest in the country, expressing delight that routine immunization and other services in the PHCs were not put on hold in the PHCs despite the lockdown.
He assured the State that “within the shortest possible time, funds that are supposed to come to Ogun state from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund are made available to the state to help achieve the dreams of primary health care to the people of the state”.
Responding, Prince Abiodun reiterated that the present administration has effective healthcare delivery on its front burner, disclosing that Ogun was the first in the country to commit to life insurance for its health workers across board.
Prince Abiodun said his administration was able to come up with well-structured isolation centers with about four hundred bed spaces spread across the state, adding that his administration was also planning to make some of its recently renovated Primary Health Care centers first responders to manage cases related to the pandemic.
The governor, who also noted that all that the state had been able to achieve in terms of having on ground a well-structured Isolation and treatment centers was done through self-help, adding that his administration had also been able to provide insurance policy to all of its health workers.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, who gave a breakdown of the State’s efforts so far on Covid-19, said that the oldest Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the country, which is domiciled in Ogun, has come up with “See and Treat” approach to give room for immediate treatment of suspected case before the release of result from the laboratory.
Great Achiever Magazine reports that Coker maintained that the items in the five isolation centers across the state would after the pandemic be distributed to its primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities to boost the health system.
