LAGOS RECORDS 32% INCREASE IN OUT-PATIENT CLINIC ATTENDANCE AT SECONDARY HEALTH FACILITIES Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has said that attendance at the out-patient clinic departments of secondary health facilities in the State has increased by 32% from 3,102,571 to 4,100,503 between 2011 and 2013. Idris who disclosed this recently during his Ministry’s annual press briefing to commemorate the third year of the second term of the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola in Office noted that the period between 2011 and 2013 witnessed 8% increase in the bed complement of secondary health facilities from 3,091 to 3,339. The Commissioner added that the utilization of services at public health services with regard to maternal and child health interventions has also improved tremendously since the beginning of the second term of this administration stressing that the ante-natal clinic attendance has increased by 68% from 136,707 in year 2011 to 229,389 in year 2013. According to him, “deliveries increased by 25% from 19,572 in year 2011 to 24,431 in year 2013 and the percentage of fully immunized children especially measles coverage under one year increased from 73% to 87% during the same time frame. The number of Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) sites also increased from 130 to 273”. Idris stated that the State Government through the Ministry of Health, Health Service Commission and Primary Health Care Board have continued to train and re-train members of staff of the health workforce to improve on the quality of care in spite of the fact that the health workforce in the public sector has increased from 14,148 in the year 2011 to 15,205 in year 2013. The Commissioner noted that the issues of enhanced access, quality and efficiency in health care sector were also addressed during the during the period in review, stressing that the State has completed the construction and equipping of two additional Maternal and Child Centres (MCCs) to bring the number of functional MCCs to seven. “Also increase in the number of commissioned flagship primary care facilities to six have resulted in a commensurate increase in the bed complement and scope of service rendition spanning diagnostic, clinical, radiology and critical care of public health facilities. This was complemented with a focus on the availability of utilities such as alternative sources of potable water and power (IPP and generators)”, he stated. Idris opined that State government would continue to maintain focus on the revitalization of primary health care, continued professional development of health manpower to maintain quality of care, sustainability of public enlightenment on prevalent diseases and primary health care outreach services to underserved communities. Said he, “it would also be expedient to maintain a focus on sector-specific data management, the scale up of community based mutual health plans and the engagement of the private sector, a resource not yet fully tapped, to efficiently complement the shortfall in available human resources for health in the public sector”. The Commissioner emphasised that the present administration remains committed to increased investment in infrastructure and human capital development to encourage best practices and inspire health workers with the most efficient tools of their profession while also assuring that challenges in the sector will be converted to opportunities. “I assure you that we will not dwell on the past. We will remain focused to continue to address and convert challenges to opportunities and success stories and will continue to deliver to the best of our abilities and within the resources available to the State, such that Lagos shall be a destination of best practices in the health sector”, he concluded.
Posted on: Tue, 06 May 2014 17:22:56 +0000
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