The Ondo State Government has procured some modern equipment to enhance the healthcare delivery system across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
Some of the newly procured equipment include high quality with in-built printers, high-tech multi-function colour photocopy machines and generators.
The government said the equipment would be distributed to the Primary Healthcare Centers in the local government areas as part of its efforts to enable the grassroots people have quick access to health care in their various locations.
Distributing the equipment in Akure, the state capital, the state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, said the equipment would go a long way in addressing some of the challenges being faced at health centers across the state.
Akeredolu, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu, boasted that his administration had consequently committed a lot of efforts and resources to the primary health care system in a bid to ensure that the people of the state have access to qualitative healthcare.
He explained, “The significance of these equipment to ensure improvement in the quality of PHC service delivery and utilisation cannot be overemphasised. It will, no doubt, significantly increase the quality of maternal and newborn care as fetal and maternal abnormalities in pregnancy will be detected early and hence, help to reduce maternal and prenatal morbidity and mortality.
“With the Ultrasound Scanning Machines at the comprehensive health centres, pregnant women will no longer have to travel kilometers to General Hospitals or private clinics to do ultrasound scanning. Apart from being available and affordable, it will also reduce the cost and time of transportation, as well as the attending risk to life faced when this procedure is done outside the closest facility.
“The essence of the generators at this period is that they will help to power these equipment and the health centres especially with the current high cost of diesel and epileptic power supply in the country. Also, the photocopy machines will ease the challenges of documentation and enhance efficiency in our health centres.”
The governor also directed that all the health workers that would be handling the machines should be trained properly to ensure their safety and to make sure they are well maintained.
Earlier in his remarks, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, said the development was a further testament to the commitment of the present administration in the state to the realization of a qualitative and sustainable PHC in the state.
“The high quality digital ultrasound scanning machines with in-built printers will not only improve early detection of feto-maternal abnormalities in pregnancy, it will help to build clients’ trust, increase PHC facilities utilization and ultimately reduce maternal and perinatal mortality.
“The training and capacity building for health workers in various PHC services areas will now be seamless with these multi-function coloured photocopy machines and the availability of petrol generators for powering the equipment.”
