Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday disclosed plans by the State Government to take delivery of medical equipment worth over a billion naira as part of efforts to boost health care delivery services across the state.

Governor Fayemi stated further that his administration had concluded plans to build an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and installation of a new permanent laboratory in addition to the temporary one installed in the early phase of Covid-19 pandemic in the premises of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).

The Governor who disclosed these while declaring open the 2021 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Medical Association, Ekiti State Branch in Ado Ekiti, explained that his administration was about completing the Dental and Ophthalmology buildings at the State University Teaching Hospital.

Speaking on other infrastructure transformation that has taken place in the health sector, he said; “I recalled that that when I came back, the teaching hospital was a sorry sight, the maternity department had caved in and many other facilities there had dilapidated, now I know that, that is not what is happening in the teaching hospital.

“I know that in addition to the various innovation that has taken place there, we are currently completing the Dental and Ophthalmology buildings in the hospital and in another month or two, we will commence the building of the ICU in the teaching hospital, we are also putting in place a permanent laboratory in addition to a temporary one that is being run for our Covid testing in the hospital.

“But in addition to that, on the health management side, we are bringing in, in a couple of months, equipment worth over 1.5 billion naira to our hospitals; CT scan, ultra sound, various equipment are coming into the various hospitals in addition to the ongoing renovation of all the general hospitals in the local government areas. And that is what we have also been doing in the primary health facilities across the length and breadth of the state, we are also equipping them as well in the various local government.”

Governor Fayemi, at the AGM which focused on Healthcare Financing and Universal Health Care Coverage, commended the NMA for contributing immensely to improving health care delivery in the country and hope that the central themes for discussion would help to address the lopsidedness of financing within the health sector.

He also called on members of the Medical and Dental Consultants association of Nigeria (MDCAN) to make themselves more available for patients at the local, primary and general hospital levels.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Prof Fola Esan, who commended Dr Fayemi’s stride in the health sector stressed the importance of trust in sustaining and managing health Insurance scheme in the state.

Also the Chairman of NMA Ekiti State Branch, Dr Kayode Aribiyi, said this year’s AGM was structured to address and unravel funding avenues needed to provide expected healthcare services to the people of Ekiti and to ensure that the concerns of medical doctors and healthcare workers were taking into consideration.

The meeting was attended by the Head of Service, Mrs Peju Babafemi, former Minister of Health and former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof Isaac Adewole; the State Coordinator, National Health Insurance Scheme, Ekiti State Office, Mr Christopher Daramola and the General Manager of Ekiti Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Ayodele Seluwa, other medical practitioners and top government professionals in the health sector.

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