ASABA/Nigeria: As part of measures to improve the quality of health care services in Delta State, a stakeholder’s meeting has been convened with a call for more synergy among various health professionals in the health sector.
The Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye, made the call during the meeting he had with Zonal Medical Directors, Heads of Departments and Units in all government-owned secondary and tertiary health facilities at the Conference Hall, Felix Ibru Secretariat, Asaba.
In his opening remark, the commissioner thanked all the health officials for coming and informed them that issues that arose from monitoring activities to health facilities and some pressing issues would be discussed.
He said at the end of the interactive session, the permanent secretary in the ministry would come out with a position on how to move the health sector in the state forward.
Ononye also used the medium to appreciate each of them for the zeal and diligence they displayed during the COVID -19 pandemic which he said was not yet over.
According to him, “We are again faced with another health challenge as the state has recorded deaths caused by Yellow Fever which has led to loss of lives hence all hands must be on deck to curb the spread of the disease”.
The commissioner stated that measures have already been put in place to control the spread of the disease, which he said included the on-going immunization exercise of persons between nine months and 44 years in Ika North East and Ika South Local Government Areas.
He however stated that the exercise would be extended to the remaining local government areas in the state by the first week of December, 2020.
Dr Ononye regretted that not much could be done by the state government this year on infrastructure, training and re-training due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which he noted, had adversely affected government’s finances.
On her part, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Minnie Oseji, said that no one section of the health sector could single-handedly handle the health challenges, and sued for synergy among them.
She harped on the need for officers to adhere to the already existing laid down structures for administration of the health sector.
According to her, “For a long time now, I had not been invited to such meetings but want to thank this dispensation for making it possible for me to be part of this meeting where synergy is being stressed on.
The permanent secretary decried the present standing of the state as it relates to Maternal and Peri-natal Death Surveillance Response (MPDSR) activities which started in 2018 with the state doing well but had dropped below other states.
She stated that data collection and collation should be taken more seriously because of its importance in planning, failing, which she said, targets would not be met.
Oseji said that the ministry introduced some initiatives to boost the moral of medical workers such as last year’s Productive Enhancement workshop.
