By Kemi Olatunde

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Counsellors in Ondo State have been charged to be good ambassadors of the state health system in order to attain an improved service delivery.
Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency(OSPHCDA), Dr. Francis Akanbiemu gave the charge during health workers/counsellors review meeting for quarter one in Akure.
According to him, it is important that they exemplify truthfulness in all they do, adding that they must operate in line with government decision in providing services to residents of the state.
While describing counselling as one of the difficult aspects of health care delivery, he stressed the importance of healthiness noting that ” a society that is not healthy will not get the fullness of the potential of government policies. ”
However, he implored them to uphold the ethics of their profession in discharging their duties and added that they should strife to reshape the society through their activities of counseling students in schools.
In his opening remarks, Director, Medical Services, OSPHCDA, Dr. Paulinus Omode stated that they should be able to impact life time skills into the students adding that they are also to serve as guidance and counselors to management of their respective schools.
He called on them to ensure that students are shaped right from the adolescent, so as, to have a better society.
Coordinator, Sexual and Reproductive Health, OSPHCDA, Mrs Rosemary Adegbulu stressed the need for school counselors to provide adequate data for proper service delivery through partners’ support.
She berated authorities of some schools who expelled students based on their participation in some social vices including smoking, noting that such measure cannot add value to the life of such child thus contributing to the rot in the society.
However, she called for synergy between health workers and counselors in schools.
Also speaking, Maternal Child Health Programme Officer, OSPHCDA, Mrs Olabisi Dare-Owolabi stated that counsellors should be friendly with students in order to have confident in them and added that they should upgrade themselves in order to be at per with their counterparts in other parts of the world.
She advised that they should “not be too harsh on the students but rather come down to their levels. You must ensure that you have good attitude, so as, to win the heart of the students.”
School Health Officer, OSPHCDA, Mrs Bello charged them to always keep the board abreast of issues going on in their various schools.