By Kemi Olatunde

Ahead of the planned summit in the health sector of Ondo State, the state government has inaugurated a 24 -man planning committee saddled with the responsibility of coordinating programmes and activities designed to ensure the overall success of the summit.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Pharmacist (Mrs.) Folukemi Aladenola is the chairman of the committee while Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Health, Dr.Uche Odionyenma will act as the secretary.
The committee also has its members drawn from the various Ministry, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) under the state’s health sector including the Ministry of Health, Hospitals Management Board, Ondo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital and Ondo State Emergency Medical Services Agency.
Others are Ondo State Agency for the Control of AIDS, College of Health Technology and the Board for Alternative Medicine.
Inaugurating the committee, Aladenola said the main objective of the summit is to formulate a viable health policy towards giving the state’s health sector a policy direction.
While noting that the state’s health sector is one, she stated that the summit is designed to promote a well coordinated health sector towards ensuring continuity and sustainability of programmes and policies.
According to her, the summit will equally be an assembly of technocrats and key stakeholders in the health sector who are expected to brainstorm on a policy document that which will go a long way in bringing improvement to the sector.
Speaking further, she explained that the planned summit will also serve as a template for Ondo State to have a unified position at next year’s National Council on Health meeting.
However, she charged committee members to be focused and committed to the overall success of the summit.
The Secretary of the committee, Dr.Uche Odionyenma assured that members of the committee will put in their best into the assignment towards moving the state’s health sector forward.