'Kogi is leading the pack in taming health insecurity'

• Flags off Kogi Health Ministry/WHO Joint Sensitization Campaign Against Cholera

The Kogi State Ministry of Health, in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO), on Tuesday, held a town hall meeting in response to cholera outbreak, whilst discussing strategies to strengthen surveillance for Epidemic Prone Diseases in the State.

Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, represented by his Deputy, Chief (Dr.) attended the parley at the Government House, Lokoja, with an urgent call on residents to strengthen Food and Water Sanitation, as well as Personal, and Environmental Hygiene.

Commenting on behalf of Governor Bello, Chief Onoja who motioned that cholera remains a global threat to public health, averred that the proactive strategy to improve early detection, reporting confirmation, and effective response to high-priority diseases was commendable.

He said since assuming office, Governor Bello has placed a high priority on Health as a thematic area of focus, increasing the State’s Health Financing Fiscal Space, investing heavily on Health Infrastructures, Health workforce, and capacity building to improve service delivery, procurement, and distribution of essential medicines, electronic data capturing and tracking system to improve the Health Sector.

He disclosed that cholera across the country has been exacerbated by poor access to clean water, open defecation, poor sanitation, and hygiene stressing that Kogi’s almost-zero active case is hinged on multifaceted approaches such as effective sensitization modalities, response mechanisms, robust surveillance, and healthy collaboration with major stakeholders to contain diseases with a call on residents to maintain all safety measures.

Whilst referencing the Kogi information hub– www.kogipedia.net, he noted that the State Primary Healthcare facilities have been bolstered with the attendant recruitment of medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health workers, with Kogi leading the pack in the implementation of a Revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for doctors.

Earlier, the WHO Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo who joined via Zoom, and State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Audu, stressed that 2021 has witnessed more than 31,425 suspected cases of cholera in Nigeria.

The duo lauded Governor Bello for his fervid attention given to the Health Sector as well his resolute stands against virulent diseases like cholera. The Commissioner sutured on the achievements of the Ministry in the Implementation of Kogi State Strategic Health Development Plan, while the WHO Representative assured of adequate collaboration with the Kogi State Government to combating Health Insecurity via developed programs for the elimination, eradication, prevention, and control of these diseases.

In attendance was the Secretary to the State Government, Lokoja LG Chairman, State Epidemiologist, State Health Promotion Officer, and other critical stakeholders in the Health Sector. Others were political, religious, and traditional leaders, Community Health Influencers and Promoters (CHIPs), school teachers, health extension workers, community-based surveillance volunteers, and market women.