By Kemi Olatunde

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Plans are underway to develop a new policy document for the health system in Ondo State.

To this end, major stakeholders in the health sector are presently galvanising contemporary issues in health care delivery at a three-day Ondo State Health Policy Development Activity organised by the State Ministry of Health in Akure.

Declaring the activity open, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka highlighted the importance of policy in health care delivery stressing that it set a general plan of action to achieve desired goals while acting as a fundamental guideline for decision making.

Ajaka added that policies equally help in providing standardisation in daily operational activities while critical to health and safety, legal liabilities and regulatory requirements.

While affirming that Ondo State has been implementing the state health policy developed in 2005 by the former Governor Olusegun Agagu-led administration, which had far reaching impacts on improving the performance of the State health system, the Commissioner said it is the norm for policy documents to be reviewed periodically.

Ajaka noted that the 2005 health policy requires revision with a view to developing a new one that reflects new realities and trends including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He appreciated the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN for encouraging, supporting and repositioning the state health sector to meet the expectations of his administration’s eight-point developmental agenda code-named “REDEEMED”.

In her welcome address, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Pharmacist (Mrs.) Folukemi Aladenola averred that the activity was informed by the need to review the current health policy in the state which was developed in 2005 in view of the global changes including the COVID-19 pandemic, new emerging diseases and modern technology among others.

Aladenola noted that the development of the new health policy started last year during the State Health Summit where the views and recommendations of medical experts were galvanised.

The Permanent Secretary said the activity was to review the current state health policy to reflect the present global best practices in the health system as it no longer meets the needs of the time.

Aladenola affirmed that the activity will ensure the development of a document that will engender new innovations as the outcome of the new policy development will reflect in the various health facilities in the state.

In his overview of policy development, the Lead Facilitator and Technical Coordinator, Ondo State Transition Strategy and Implementation Committee, Dr. Patrick Tolani averred that the review of the present state health policy became imperative since policy formulation and implementation is a continuous process.

Tolani charged the stakeholders to endeavour to build measurable tools such as key performance indicators into the new policy’s implementation framework in order to ensure its sustainability.

Giving an overview of the Year 2005 Ondo State Health Policy, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Health, Dr. Uche Odionyenma averred that the emerging and re-emerging diseases and different policy trusts created a wide gap which the 2005 health policy can not address, hence the review.

Odionyenma affirmed that the new health policy will reflect the current global best practices and  innovations in health care delivery system as the 2005 policy no longer meets the needs of the time.