Ogun State to Disburse Grants to 236 Primary Health Centers

Governor Dapo Abiodun announced on Tuesday that his administration will soon disburse grants and facilities to 236 primary health centers across the state, in a bid to enhance healthcare delivery and meet World Health Organization standards.

Speaking during the 44th annual general meeting and scientific conference of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Governor Abiodun stated, “We have grants and facilities from multilateral organisations that we are going to begin to expend very soon, which will allow us to have a minimum of 236 primary health care centers built in line with the requirements of the World Health Organization. This initiative is part of our administration’s commitment to strengthening primary healthcare services and ensuring that our citizens have access to quality healthcare.”

The governor noted that his administration has renovated about 100 primary health care centers, equipping them with solar energy, digital communication equipment, and digital record-keeping systems. “These renovations are designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our primary healthcare services, and we are committed to continuing this investment in the healthcare sector,” Abiodun explained.

Governor Abiodun also urged NARD members to continue sharing knowledge and experiences to improve healthcare delivery. “I want to encourage you to continue to meet like this and to discuss among each other so that you can share knowledge, share experiences, and come up with ways and means to improve health care delivery. And when you come up with these resolutions, those of us in government would like for you to forward them to us so we can give you the needed support,” he said.

Dr. Dele Abdullahi, NARD’s outgoing national president, thanked Governor Abiodun for his healthcare strides but emphasized the need to address doctor migration. “One of the problems that are plaguing doctors in Nigeria, which affects our association a lot, is the migration of doctors. But of peculiar importance is not just the migration outside of the country but inter-state migration. It is one of the major problems that we have been noting, whereby we have the influx to other states,” Dr. Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi suggested introducing car and housing loans to curb inter-state migration, urging Governor Abiodun to support the association in addressing this challenge.