Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has canvassed for a holistic approach in handling health programmes to ensure the required impact on the people.
Okowa stated this at the Delta State Primary Health Care Development Agency Meeting in conjunction With the 25 Local Government area chairmen on Integrated Measles Campaign And Vaccination exercise, held at the Conference Hall, Deputy Governor Office, Government House, Asaba, the state capital.
Okowa, represented by the Deputy Governor, Deacon (Barr.) Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, emphasised the need to involve Local Government in dealing with health programmes, especially on the Integrated Measles Campaign and Vaccination Exercise.
According to him,”we have three levels of government and we cannot overemphasise the relevance of the last level of government, the Local Government.
“On the subject of driving our health programmes, you can’t deliver your health care service best, without getting them adequate involved.
” In a campaign of this nature, we need to have a full house so as to be able to distill the expectations we all have as stakeholders of the health system.”
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye, expressed the need for greater attention to utility of primary health activities and services which included Vaccination and immunisation at Local Government areas.
Calling on all stakeholders to speak on issue affecting health care delivery at the primary health care levels, Ononye stressed that primary healthcare was the foundation of the health sector.
“Hence, the chairmen of the respective Local Government areas ought to be well abreast of what is expected at the council levels,” he opined.
On his part, the Chairman of ALGON and Ika North East Local Government Council, Hon. Victor Ebonka, said that the importance of health care delivery could not be overemphasized, noting that Delta State had taken healthcare delivery as number one priority.
He added that the Local Government chairmen had taken healthcare delivery at the grassroots as a priority right from the very day they were sworn-in, advising that their vice chairmen should be made supervisory officers of healthcare delivery in the respective Local Government areas.
In their separate remarks, the representatives of UNICEF, WHO and AFENET maintained that they had common purpose with the state government which was to ensure that Deltans wwre heathy and in extension, Nigerians.
They congratulated the Okowa’s led administration for successful inauguration of the taskforce, adding that it was a show of high level of commitment and enormous support to the Delta State Primary Health Delivery Agency.
