…as World Bank lauds project implementation

By Kemi Olatunde

A total of 102 Primary Health Centres (PHCs), currently undergoing revitalisation in Ondo State will be ready for use by June 2025,  Hope has learnt.

Weekend recall that the Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, recently announced the upgrade of approximately 203 Primary Health Centres under the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress Accelerating Coverage and Transformation (IMPACT) programme in the state.

This announcement was made during a supervisory visit to the projects in Akure South, Akure North, and Ifedore Local Government Areas by a World Bank team from Abuja.

According to Dr. Desmond Opara, the Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank, the visit was intended to review the progress of the project in relation to its development objectives and to ensure that all activities are on track for successful completion.

Dr. Opara commended the swift implementation of the project in the state, noting that most of the projects visited were about 60 percent complete.

He said: “There is a level of assurance that supplies and civil works will be completed before the end of May, and the renovation of existing structures will progress rapidly given the pace at which the contractors are working.”

He also praised the state for the proper and effective execution of civil works within just one month of the commencement of the revitalisation projects, especially when compared with other states.

On the possibility of extending the project in the state, Dr. Opara explained that the programme is set to conclude in December.

He added that he would include a recommendation for an extension in his report to the World Bank for states that started late, noting that an alternative arrangement might be made to ensure better service delivery to the public.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ondo State Ministry of Health, Dr. Adeniran Ikuomola, who was represented by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr. Ayodele Adelusi, requested an extension for the programme in Ondo State, highlighting that other states have already benefited from it for the past four years.

The Project Manager for the IMPACT Immunisation Plus programme, Dr. Paulinus Omode, stated that once the projects are completed, all 102 upgraded PHCs will feature staff quarters, tricycle ambulances, 5kVA solar systems for 24-hour electricity, borehole services, perimeter fencing, laboratory equipment, ramps for people with disabilities, and a supply of essential drugs.

He assured: The project would be completed on or before June 2025, expressing gratitude to the Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, for creating the enabling environment to ensure that Ondo State benefits from the IMPACT project.

He expressed confidence that the project would significantly improve the Primary Healthcare Centres, raising the standard of the least level of primary healthcare in the state to level 2.

Regarding the remaining 101 PHCs out of the 203 approved projects, Dr. Omode mentioned that the upgrading would fall under another federal government programme titled “HOPE PHCs,” which would be based on the performance of the IMPACT project.

The Project Manager for IMPACT Malaria, Dr Waheed Afolayan explained that Ondo State is one of the fortunate states to be running two components of the IMPACT programme: Immunisation Plus and Malaria.

Speaking on the achievements of the IMPACT Malaria programme, Dr. Afolayan revealed that the programme has engaged around 100 ad-hoc staff, who have been deployed across all 18 LGAs to work as community mobilisers, complementing health workers in the local government areas.

Dr. Afolayan also noted that pregnant women and children under the age of five, who are the most vulnerable to malaria, are being provided with Sulfadoxine Pyrimethamine (SP) and other malaria medications.

Regarding the provision of insecticidal nets, Dr. Afolayan confirmed that the government has allocated 205,058 nets to be distributed to children under five years of age during immunisation, as well as to pregnant women registering for antenatal services.

The Ward Development Chairman for Oba-ile in Akure North LGA, Mr Rotimi Johnson, expressed his gratitude to both the Ondo State Government and the World Bank for improving healthcare facilities in the state.