Oyo Govt & Stakeholders Develop 2024 Annual Operational Plan

The Oyo State Government, on Monday, began the development of the 2024 Annual Operational Plan
to guide the operations of the ministry.

The document to be developed at the end of an ongoing Five-Day Stakeholder’s Engagement, holding at Plaza De Aruna Hotel, Oyo, was in collaboration with the United Nations International For Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry Of Health, Dr. Olusoji Adeyanju,
speaking shortly after declaring the event opened, said, the essence of the stakeholders’ meeting was to review the activities done last year by the ministry with a view to making necessary improvement.

He added that the initiative which began three years ago would enable the government to strengthen healthcare facilities for residents to further access qualitative healthcare.

He reiterated the commitment of the government to reducing infant mortality and maternal mortality rates.

Dr. Adeyanju, while assuring residents of quality health care services with prompt interventions by health personnel at various facilities, noted that the present administration is working round the clock towards ensuring healthcare delivery is at the optimal level.

“The main essence of the stakeholders’ meeting is to assess what we have done in the last year and use it as a spring bottle in the coming year”, he said.

“At the end, we intend to identify what we are going to do, who is going to do it, how we will implement it, who are the people to do it step by step”.

“The truth is that in the past three years, since His Excellency came on board, we have been making this Annual Operational Plan on a yearly basis to review what we have done, and we thank His Excellency for this”.

“If the primary Healthcare center is strengthened, people will not be transferred to may be, secondary or tertiary health centers, this is what the government is doing to ensure people have access to healthcare services very close to their environment”.

In his remarks, Health Specialist, UNICEF, Dr. Olufemi Adeyemi, emphasized the need to avail children equal opportunity to assess qualitative healthcare at necessary stages.

Dr. Adeyemi admonished stakeholders in the health sector to ensure the well-being of the children, mothers and protect their rights in terms of provision of health care.

“Every child has access to vaccination, it is free, children are to get it at the appropriate time because a child should not die of malaria and some diseases, it is unacceptable”.

Earlier, the Director, Planning Research and Statistics, State’s Health Ministry, Dr. Abass Gbolahan, said the move by the ministry was to have a robust and comprehensive plan that will be in line with the vision of the government for the health sector.

He explained that the ministry was able to improve on its surveillance activities during the year under review, adding that many health facilities were upgraded by the government and became more functional.

He called on residents of the state to distance themselves from self-medication, but access government health facilities for them to know their health status.