BENIN CITY – Stakeholders in the health sector in Edo State, under the auspices of the Edo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (EDSPHCDA), on Thursday convened a Citizens’ Townhall Meeting aimed at strengthening primary healthcare services through greater public participation and community ownership.
The meeting, themed “Strengthening Primary Healthcare Services in Edo State through Citizen Engagement and Ownership,” brought together health professionals, policymakers and other stakeholders to deliberate on ways to improve healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
Executive Secretary of EDSPHCDA, Dr. Coulson Osoikhai, said the townhall was organised to create a platform for interaction with stakeholders and understand their expectations towards improving primary healthcare in the state.
According to him, engaging citizens and critical stakeholders remains key to strengthening the healthcare system and ensuring that primary healthcare centres effectively meet the needs of communities.
Special Adviser on Health to Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, Mr. Andrew Iyamu, said primary healthcare remains a critical component of the state government’s SHINE agenda.
Iyamu noted that beyond establishing primary healthcare facilities, the state government is also focused on ensuring their effectiveness and functionality, urging stakeholders to support ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare services across Edo State.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing policies and programmes that would improve access to quality healthcare for residents.
The State Immunisation Officer (SIO), Mrs. Omogun Elfrida, stressed the need for stronger collaboration between health workers and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to improve healthcare delivery, particularly at the community level.
Also speaking, a representative of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mr. Musa Abdullahi, disclosed that the agency is targeting the training of 120,000 frontline healthcare workers nationwide.
He revealed that out of the 78,000 healthcare workers trained so far, Edo State accounts for 999 beneficiaries, underscoring the state’s participation in efforts to build a stronger frontline healthcare workforce.