Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has promised to complete no fewer than 351 model primary health centres across the state before the end of his administration in 2023.
Makinde, who made the promise on Wednesday in Saki town during the inauguration of the Saki Specialist Hospital, said that one primary healthcare centre would be built in every ward.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to improve healthcare facilities in the state, saying. “quality healthcare delivery is a cardinal objective of this administration”
According to him, the Saki Specialist Hospital is to be an observatory, isolation and treatment centre in support of efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We also had the long-term goal of ensuring that the centre fits into our overall plan to improve the healthcare system in the state.
“As a government, we leveraged on the outbreak of Coronavirus to rebuild and upgrade dilapidated healthcare infrastructures in the state,” he said.
The governor stated that the hospital had a ten-bed Intensive Care Unit, two state-of-the-Art mechanical ventilators with humidifiers and patient monitors.
“It also has a 12-bed High Dependency Unit with piped oxygen, 12-bed female general ward, 12-bed male general ward, an operating theatre and a recovery room.
“We also have some high-end laboratory equipment capable of aiding research into infectious diseases. We have a parameter haematology analyser, clotting profile analyser, autoclave and biosafety cabinet,” he said.
Makinde said the hospital had been equipped with two diesel generators to ensure constant electricity supply.
He said that the infectious disease centres built by the state government were the direct results of his administration’s resolve to improve the healthcare sector.
“The research that will be done at these centres will benefit our people, the centres will help to reduce the spread of infectious diseases such as Lassa fever, yellow fever, tuberculosis and others,” he said.
The governor pledged his government’s resolve to ensure proper maintenance of the facilities and the employment of qualified health personnel for effective service delivery.(NAN).