Edo Rallies Stakeholders, Urges Support to Build Resilient Health System to Respond to Future Outbreaks

The Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Samuel Alli, has called for the support and collaboration of all stakeholders to build a more resilient and efficient health system to respond to and mitigate the impact of future outbreaks and improve access to quality healthcare services for Edo people.

Alli, who spoke to journalists after a one-day health stakeholder engagement in Benin City, emphasised that health was an essential component of human capital development, reiterating the need for continuous partnerships in enhancing access to efficient, quality healthcare services to people across the state.

The meeting was attended by the heads of administration of the State’s 18 local government areas, Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) Coordinators across the State, and Directors of the Edo State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, among others.

He said, “While the Governor Godwin Obaseki-state government has made remarkable progress in the health sector, undertaking reforms and pursuing transformative infrastructural projects to revamp the State’s health system, we cannot afford to become complacent.

“We must sustain efforts, strengthening collaboration and partnerships to guarantee robust mechanisms and systems that enable us to effectively prepare for, detect, and mitigate the impact of any future outbreaks.

“The ever-evolving landscape of healthcare demands that we remain open to change and continuously strive for improvement. We have witnessed remarkable advancements driven by technology, transforming the way we diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases, such as the transformation in the treatment and management of HIV/AIDS which was formally perceived as a death sentence.

“As the health sector continues to evolve, we must embrace innovation and leverage technology to enhance accessibility, affordability, and the overall quality of healthcare services in Edo State.”

Commending the governor’s strides in the health sector, especially the upgrade of the Edo College of Nursing Sciences and the Edo Specialist Hospital, the Commissioner urged health workers and other stakeholders in the State to complement the government’s efforts at strengthening the state’s health system by ensuring the delivery of high-quality and efficient healthcare services to the people of the State.