Giant Strides of Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the Health Sector, By Abubakar Yusuf
There was no denial that the present administration in Lagos state under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had invested heavily in the provision of quality health system to the betterment of average residents of the state.
Beginning from the Primary Health Care services PHC to Secondary as well as the Tertiary Health institutions was giving adequate attention within the first four year tenure of Lagos state Governor, a program he had sustained towards the twilight of his first term in office.
Aside repositioning the health sector in Lagos with a view to responding to both immediate and emergency situations, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made alot of huge investments towards giving adequate attention in the area of health as the basic necessities of life and formed the hub of social services been provided by the both the Local, State and Federal Government.
The positive development in the health sector of Lagos state was a sharp departure from the days when public hospitals are left in a critical conditions lacking both personels, equipment among many others in government hospitals.
The robust medical attention had reduced to the barest minimum medical toursim not only the activities of shylock medical professionals, whose intentions was to divert patients from the public to the private hospitals with a view to charging them exorbitant and cut throat bills.
Sanwo-Olu prioritized the PHC services to protect both infants and children growing up as well as gave adequate attention to all levels of health care services in the state.
The massive renovation, rehabilitation and reconstruction of all levels of health care services in the state had placed the citizens at vantage positions towards accessing and assessing affordable health care system in Lagos state.
The reconstruction of many decades ‘Mercy Hospital’, the first indigenous hospital in Lagos state, that served both the first capital of the country and the cosmopolitan Lagos with unpredictable population had repositioned health care provision in the state.
The template of renovation and reconstruction was replicated across Lagos state and LCDA’s to the stable assessement of both indigenes and neighborhood of Ogun State quality health care service.
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Aside building and equipping the state hospital and specialist hospitals , Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also created employment opportunities for all categories of medical staffs as well as provided good condition of service to the people of the state through constant salary increment and review.
Gone were the days were citizens of Lagos state had shunned hospitals for medical attention cos of the high costs of medical attention and the dearth of professionals in the state.
At the heat of COVID pandemic, a world emergency scourge that ravaged the whole world, Sanwo-Olu’s administration designed both immediate, intermediate and long term programs to protect the citizens against the backdrop of negative consequences of the ailement.
During the pandemic that led to subsequent lockdowns for months, spanned from first to fifth wave and Delta variant , the governor had provided both medical and non medical equipments to that brought the scourge under control.
The quantum of financial commitment by the Lagos state government under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2020, 2021 and 2022 was huge ,as the period under review was declared by the state government as an emergency situations with provision of both free medical and non- medical equipments as well as vaccines for the citizenry.
In the history of Nigeria and across the 36 states of the country, Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s unique attention and approach to the world ravaged pandemic earned him an award of recognition from the World Health Organization WHO along many other local and international bodies, a feat that was rare in the history of the country.
The strategy of containing the spread of the deadly scourge in the cosmopolitan Lagos state had had a multipier positive effects through the quick interventions and response by the state government.
With the government willingness and positive actions and responses, no doubt the provision of health care services both in the normal and emergency situations was contained and attended to by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
It is obvious when reelected for a second term in office, he will do more to nip in the bud the idea of medical toursim outside Lagos state and the country at large, as well as provide more conducive environment to continue to attain quality health care system and services.
Written By ABUBAKAR YUSUF and can be reached on [email protected].
