The Federal Government has expressed commitment to intensifying collaboration with the Ondo State Government toward improving healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of State for Health, spoke on Saturday at the inauguration of some projects at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo in Owo Local Council Area of the state.
Mamora said the Federal Government had consistently integrated components of the universal health coverage, including accessibility, availability and affordability in the provision of healthcare services to the citizenry.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the projects the minister inaugurated included the Akure Annex of the FMC, Research Centre, Isolation Centre, Upgraded Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Reference Laboratory.
Mamora expressed delight at the facilities in the hospital and the enthusiasm of the staff which, he said, was critical to the capacity of the centre to deliver on its mandate.
He urged the staff to downplay undue rivalry and embrace teamwork, pointing out that quality healthcare delivery required synergy among the stakeholders.
He commended the state government for its unflinching support for the centre and urged the management and staff of the hospital to sustain the existing cordial relationship between it and the state.
Mamora also lauded them for their landmark achievements in all branches of medicine, assuring that government would look critically into challenges confronting the facility with a view to finding permanent solutions to them.
Earlier in his address, Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, described the event as complementary to the realisation of the efficient healthcare delivery component of the “Redeemed Agenda” of his administration.
Akeredolu, represented by Mrs Folukemi Aladenola, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said since inception of his administration, he had unequivocally demonstrated avowed commitment to overhaul the state’s health sector.
He said his administration’s commitment toward the sector had been through deliberate policies and interventions that had positively impacted directly and indirectly on the people of the state.
Akeredolu added that his government had also paid special attention to both human and infrastructural needs of hospitals in the state, thereby giving them a befitting face-lift.
Earlier, Dr Ahmed Adeagbo, the FMC Medical Director, said the centre had developed significantly in both human and material resources.
He said that the Federal Government had upgraded the hospital’s facilities, thereby making the centre a reference point in the management of infectious diseases such as Lassa Fever.
Adeagbo said the strategic location of the health facility had made it a haven for medical tourism by virtually all Nigerians. (NAN)