2023: Folarin Highlights health reform programmes, to implement WHO Charter on Health Worker Safety

By Bukola Hameed

The Oyo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Teslim Folarin has highlighted his health reform programmes come 2023. He also promised to implement the World Health Organisation, WHO Charter on Health Worker Safety.

He stated this today at a parley with health workers in Oyo State at Emeritus Professor Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi Hall, University of Ibadan College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan.

Senator Folarin, who said Oyo State’s health sector is in shambles in terms of infrastructure, equipment and intolerable working conditions of health workers added that, “some other glaring problems include under-staffing in our hospitals, expensive treatment and unavailability of basic drugs. The situation is all the more tragic in rural areas”.

He said, “Our mission for the health sector of Oyo State is to improve quality of life by making healthcare delivery available, accessible and affordable.

Permit me to quickly highlight some of my health reform programmes – Revitalisation of services and comprehensive upgrading Ring Road State Hospital Ibadan, expansion of the state Ambulance services, establishment of Cardiovascular Centre at Ring Road State Hospital and State Hospitals across Oyo, and quality improvement Health care service delivery – Public Private Partnership for some hospitals clinical, non clinical and diagnostic services.

Others include sustaining and revitalising the Primary Health Care Board, expansion of the Semi autonomous status for some hospitals, establishment of a Drug Distribution Centre, upgrading and Renovation of state and General Hospitals and Health Institutions, and completion and provision of the medical equipment for the sustenance of accreditation of LAUTECH teaching hospital, College of Nursing and College of Health Technology.

Also, we will see to sustenance of the regulation of private health care facilities to ensure compliance to minimum standard of health care practices, sustaining collaboration with Donors and partners in terms man power development, counterpart contribution, equipment and renovation and introduction of Electronic Medical Record to some Health activities, eg health care Service delivery, registration of Private hospital.

Furthermore, our administration shall implement WHO Charter on Health Worker Safety, viz; connecting the dots between policies on patient safety and health worker safety, developing and implementing national programmes for the occupational health and safety of health workers, protecting health workers from violence in the workplace, improving the mental health and psychological well-being of health workers, and protecting health workers from physical and biological hazards”, he concluded.

While establishing that the government has the duty to take care of its citizens by all means necessary, Senator Folarin therefore promised that his administration will not pay lip service to the health sector, in Oyo State.