$20m for Osun’s health sector

The Osun government is to get $20 million to fix healthcare facilities across the state, Mr. Adeshina Adeniyi, Chief Press Secretary to Governor has said.

According to Adeshina, the Minister of health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, unveiled the package in Abuja.

He said the money was the earning of the state from the World Bank-supported Saving One Million Lives (SOML) programme for result initiative.

Adeshina said the minister said the programme was aimed at giving incentives based on achievement of results (health outcomes) and helping to drive institutional processes needed to achieve results.

Adewole also noted that the programme was also sought to catalyse change in the way health business was done by focusing on results and governance.

He said the programme was financed through the $500m International Development Association (IDA) credit to the Federal Government over a period of four years, for distribution to states on the basis of performance.

‘’The states were assessed based on the implementation of a number of maternal and child healthcare indicators, which determine what is earned.

The Governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, said the state would use the money to fix 332 out of the over 900 Primary Health Care Centres (PHC) across the state.

Oyetola said it would be on the basis of one PHC per ward, so as to bring health care to the doorstep of the people at the grassroots.

‘’I am prioritising healthcare because “a healthy state is a wealthy state.

“That is why healthcare and education are critical indices of the Human Capital Development (HCD),’’ he said.

He, however, commended the minister for his continuous support for the state.

(NAN)