Ondo State Health Commissioner, Dr Banji Awolowo Ajaka
Ondo State Government has listed new measures to improve healthcare delivery on the state.
Also, the fresh measures will expectedly boost primary healthcare, expand health infrastructure, boost the health workforce, and improve evidence-based decision-making to enhance service delivery.
Disclosing these measures at the state dissemination workshop on the 2025 National Health Facility Survey Report and other survey reports in Akure,the Health commissioner, Dr. Banji Ajaka,
said the state was more interested in identifying gaps and addressing them than competing with other states on health rankings.
Also, a cording to The Hope, he frowned at the manipulation of health data to improve state rankings, insisting that the government would continue to prioritise credible data that accurately reflects realities on the ground.
He said the state has shifted its attention to strengthening primary healthcare as the foundation of an effective healthcare system.
Ajaka said investments in secondary and tertiary healthcare had also improved access to specialised medical services, citing the contributions of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo; the Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital; and the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital.
Besides, he expressed optimism that ongoing investments across the health sector would translate into better service delivery and improved health outcomes for residents.
He described healthcare workers as the backbone of the system, saying the recruitment, training, and retention of health professionals remain key priorities of the government.
The commissioner disclosed that recruitment is ongoing across primary, secondary, and tertiary health facilities, while the state continues to produce doctors, nurses, and other professionals to meet increasing healthcare demands.
He noted that although the state had recorded significant progress in health information management and data reporting, research remained one of the weakest areas of the health sector.
He therefore called for greater investment in health research to support effective planning, policy formulation, and service delivery.
Ajaka assured stakeholders of the government’s commitment to sustaining ongoing reforms and addressing identified gaps, stressing that stronger collaboration among government agencies, development partners, and healthcare professionals would accelerate improvements in the state’s healthcare system.
In his closing remarks, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Ayodele Adiji, called for greater collaboration among healthcare professionals and institutions to strengthen healthcare delivery, improve patient referrals, and reduce preventable deaths across communities.
He stressed the need for closer cooperation among primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare providers, as well as stronger community engagement in healthcare delivery.
Adiji said healthcare workers must move beyond working in isolation and embrace a unified approach to addressing the country’s health challenges, noting that effective healthcare depends not only on recruiting qualified personnel but also on ensuring that health workers are properly deployed to areas where they are most needed.
He highlighted the critical role of community health workers and social mobilisers in improving access to healthcare services, stating that rather than waiting for patients to visit hospitals, healthcare workers should engage communities directly by promoting health awareness and facilitating referrals to appropriate health facilities.
He stressed the importance of timely decision-making in healthcare, drawing attention to delays that often contribute to preventable deaths, including delays in deciding to seek medical attention, delays in reaching health facilities, and delays in receiving appropriate treatment.
Adiji also emphasised collaboration between federal and state health authorities, describing partnership across different levels of government as essential to improving healthcare delivery nationwide.
He pledged that recommendations emerging from the meeting would be jointly reviewed and implemented through collaboration involving both public and private healthcare providers.
He expressed optimism that sustained collaboration, stronger referral systems, improved community engagement and better coordination among healthcare workers would lead to measurable improvements before the next stakeholders’ meeting.
In his presentation on the 2024 Nigeria Verbal Autopsy and Social Autopsy (VASA) Study Report, Mamman Jephther Lere of the Federal Ministry of Health said that 53 per cent of under-five deaths occur within the first year of life, with 35 per cent of those deaths occurring during the neonatal period (0–27 days).
According to him, the leading causes of death among children aged 0 to 59 months include sepsis, pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoea.
He further explained that infections, parasitic diseases, and maternal causes account for about two-thirds of all deaths among women aged 12 to 49 years.
