Business Headlines

FirstBank, OCAAT excite Lagos community with construction of modern PHC

Community

By Motolani Oseni

As part of efforts to address the need of Lagosians, FirstBank Limited and the One Community At A Time (OCAAT) Initiative of the Lagos State Government have brought succour to the people and residents of Ijedodo, Ojo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, with the commencement of the construction of a Primary Health Care.

The move which is widely commended, when completed would address the multiple need of Ijedodo, who are categorized as one of the underserved and underserviced communities in the state.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Construction of the Primary Health Care, Ijedodo, Tuesday, 27 July 2021, Governor Babjide Olushola Sanwo-Olu, promised that the well-conceived project would be operationalize and will be delivered to the people of the community.

Sanwo-Olu, who was ably represented by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi said, “despite the weak health infrastructure in Nigeria, South West and in Lagos.

The Lagos State Government and the Ministry of Health has risen to the challenge of fighting back COVID that tried to overwhelmed and caused pain and suffering to our community.”

READ ALSO: ICPC partners UBEC on Anti-Corruption

According to him, we need to build strong primary health care infrastructure, like we have here, we are building and strengthening the Lagos state infrastructure starting particularly at the grassroots level.

“Where our mothers and our fathers and our children need immediate help to treat malaria, help to control pregnancy, help to give birth to healthy children, help to look after members of community with hypertension and diabetes help to manage the common infectious diseases”, he added.

On strengthening the primary health care structure in the state, he said, “the Governor has given the instruction that we completely transform the medical infrastructure of Lagos State.

It means we are going to stop building inferior infrastructure, stop using existing buildings that are not built for medical purposes.

“From now on we will be designing primary, secondary, general hospitals and specialist facilities from within the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Works, these facilities are specially designed for the purpose they are designed for”, he said.

Also, speaking at the event, Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Mrs Folashade Sherifat Jaji explained that the OCAAT is an initiative born out of the government’s desire to ensure that the underserved communities in Lagos State enjoy the dividends of good governance in line with the THEMES developmental agenda for a greater Lagos, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

According to her, four communities were approved for the first phase of the program; these communities are Badary Local Government; Egan in Alimosho LCDA; Ibeju Lekki LCDA; Ije ododo in Ojo LCDA. Embedded into the OCAAT program framework and operations are sustainability and transparency.

About the author

Ihesiulo Grace

Leave a Comment