By Asma’u Ahmad
Ondo State Government on Thursday said it has inaugurated a Technical Working Group for the State Strategic Health Development Plan II from 2017 to 2021.
The group, which was meant to carry out strategic working plan for health sector of the state, was inaugurated by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro.
Dr Adegbenro said that Federal Government with the support of development partners had successfully launched the National Strategic Health Plan II Framework from 2017 to 2021.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
“This framework was developed to serve as a guide to federal, state and local governments in the selection of evidenced-based priority interventions that will contribute to desired health outcomes for Nigerians,” he said.
He said that the meeting was for him to inaugurate and sensitise technical working group on the use of the national tool which would serve as a guide for the development of the state strategic health plan.
“It is expected that this meeting will recommend interventions necessary to enhance mutual accountability and transparency in the use of health development resources in an efficient and effective way, particularly through results-based management approaches.
“The development of the Ondo State Health Development Plan II will help strengthen the state health sector and will help to reposition organisational and management systems to provide the strategic and policy direction necessary for leadership and governance in health sector,” he said.
The commissioner enjoined all participants to make use of the opportunity in developing sustainable and realistic plan for the state, while appreciating development partners such as UNICEF with the engagement of its consultants for the state.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Taye Oni, said that the development plan would guide the actions and activities of health professionals in the state for the next five years.
Dr Oni expressed the hope that the commissioner’s leadership would enrich the state development plan. “Permit me to note this meeting is at a time when globally there is a migration from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals, both having specific but progressive targets and outcomes for health indices that are importantly to Nigeria.
“It implies that we must be conscious of the journey through the MDGs years and be able to put into perspectives our failures, our successes, the lessons learnt and the missed opportunities. And it is only in this doing that we can successfully mainstream the expectations of SDGs into our Strategic Health Development Plan,” he said.
The Lead Consultant of the workshop, Dr Olaniyi Bolarinwa, said the workshop was as a result of the collective efforts of all 36 states in the federation coming together on health strategic plan for each state.
Dr Bolarinwa urged the group to take its responsibility seriously because it would make the state develop and would give it easy access to get help from national level and development partners.
