By Sophia Anigba
There’s no denying the place of quality healthcare in assessing human development. Human beings have to be first of all hale and hearty to engage in any meaningful socio-economic activity.
Health is wealth. This, over time, underpins the Edo state government prioritization of healthcare as an integral part of development planning. In Edo state, Governor Godwin Obaseki has placed health care as a critical part of his holistic plan to attain a total thriving society.
The governor’s focus in reforming the primary health care sector is considered by experts as apt and germane. In deploying a reformist approach, Governor Godwin Obaseki aims at transforming the state’s primary health care centers in the rural areas.
The series of interventions is anchored under the Edo state health care improvement program (Edo HIP), which has kicked off with the rebuilding of 20 primary health care centers across the 18 local government areas.
For instance, on October 31st 2019, the state governor launched the health insurance/basic health care provision fund (BHCPF) as well as revamped primary health care centers under the Edo primary improvement scheme.
The state had made an initial contribution to access the BHCPF, opening up opportunities to energize its health insurance program. All of these tie up to an organic whole system plan to retool the primary healthcare system, and to be able to meet the needs of the ordinary Edo people and its environs.
The Governor Obaseki administration is focused on the improvement of lives of the people through quality education and provision of basic healthcare services and affordable healthcare services to residents at both urban and rural areas.
To sustain the momentum and give effective vent to the government efforts, the Edo state oil and gas producing areas development commission, EDSOGPADEC, as an interventionist commission to oil and gas producing areas has bought into the vision and equally set in motion a set of initiatives meant to actualize set goals.
Under the current dispensation, the revitalized commission is playing a pivotal role in the development of the oil and gas bearing areas of the state. The new constituted Board at the helm of affairs in EDSOGPADEC is determined to break new grounds.
In that regard, the commission Board envisioned a strategic working partnership with the state government to boost primary healthcare centers in the oil and gas producing areas of the state.
The sole purpose of this is to provide communities access to primary healthcare centers that will reduce maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, child mortality rate, a reduction in deaths to malarial fever and bring health awareness to the people.
Between 2011/2012 and now, the commission has successfully constructed over ten primary health care centers in three oil and gas producing local government areas and rehabilitated three of them.
During the town hall meeting in the three oil and gas producing local government areas, the commission Chairman Pastor Kennedy Usifo informed the people in the locality of the plan by the Godwin Obaseki government to bring succor to them through development.
According to him, the governor has premium interest in building health care centers to World Health Organization (WHO) standard. He further stressed that the existing health care centers will be renovated and communities without a health center will have them eventually.
For instance in Orhionmwon local government area, the imprints of EDSOGPADEC renovation of primary health care center at Evboesi community, construction of primary health care center at Obagie Nunuamen community, renovation of primary health care center at Orhogho community, construction of primary health care center at Ugbokhirima community with potable water supply, and solar power is very visible for all to see.
In Ikpoba Okha local government area, EDSOGPADEC renovated the main building of the primary health care center at Okha community, constructed primary health care center in Idogbo community, construction of primary health care center at Obagie N’otenkporo community.
The Obaseki administration also renovated the primary health center at Ologbo community with potable water supply and solar power light supply.
In Ovia North East axis, EDSOGPADEC constructed the primary health care center at Evbuorokho community, renovated the primary health care at Obagie community, constructed primary health care at Ikoro community, renovated the primary health center at Oduna community, and renovated the primary health care center at Ovbiogie community with potable water supply and 24 hour solar power supply.
Anigba is head, public affairs department of the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Development Commission, EDSOGPADEC, Benin City.
