Economic Hardship: Ogun Commences Free Surgery Intervention Programme

The Ogun State government yesterday began the process of offering free surgical services to residents of the state.

The Executive Secretary of Ogun State Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Afolabi Dosunmu, who stated this at the flag-off of registration for the intervention held at the State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, said the it was a directive given by Governor Dapo Abiodun to provide succour to the people at this difficult time.

Dosunmu said hospitals in the state are ready to carry out the directive of the governor.

“The modalities are very simple as long as you are a resident of the state, as long as you have one surgical need or the other, you are free to walk into any of our state or general hospitals and enrol on the insurance scheme.

“The doctors there will assess you if it is a case that is ready for surgery and once all other perimeters have been concluded, we will get the surgery done,” he said.

He stressed that those whose cases are not ready for immediate surgery, would be enrolled for them to have access to the intervention when they are ready.

He added: “It is possible for someone to have, for example, cataract, and the cataract is not yet mature, we will still enrol the person. We will give the person a date for when the cataract is going to mature.

“For example, if you want to remove fibroid, when you see the doctor and the doctor says your electrolyte is a bit high or your blood pressure is a little bit high, it needs to be controlled before you can be taken in for surgery”, Dosunmu explained.

The executive secretary noted that surgery operations would start on Tuesday as there were a lot of cases that needed urgent attention.

“We have a matching mandate from the governor for us to enrol 70,000 people and it is broken down to 20,000 pregnant women till they deliver even if the delivery is through caesarean section. The child is delivered, in the first six months, we will take care of its medical needs.

“We have also been asked to enrol 20,000 market women and 30,000 poor people in the state. Among the 70,000, any other person in the state that needs surgery, they have to come down and get their surgery done.”

He lauded the state governor for impacting directly on the lives of the people saying, “Everything is free from the moment they walk in and get enrolled, screened and do tests as well as the surgery and even after surgery.”

Also speaking, a retired secondary school principal, Mrs. Olusola Akintola, commended Abiodun for the programme, saying it would help the less privileged take care of their medical bills.

Lagos Deploys ICT Devices for Automation of Physical Planning Activities 90% of Lagos properties without building approvals, says Sanwo-Olu’s aide  Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration has deployed tools, comprising Information Communication Technology (ICT) devices, to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development for automation of all physical planning activities in Lagos State, marking a new era of innovation and efficiency.

Speaking during the presentation of the tools at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa yesterday, Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, said the tools will simplify the process of getting building plans and enhance the ease of doing business in Lagos. 

“Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu in his bid to deliver quality service to the people of Lagos State decided that from the comfort of their homes, they should be able to visit Lagos State Planning Information Centre (LASPIC) online and get certified true copy of approvals that are missing and apply for a building permit online.

“In Lagos, we have so many buildings without approvals. LASPIC and the Physical Planning and Automation Department have been able to document all those within Lagos state who have approvals.

“We have up to 5 million properties in Lagos but we have less than 500,000 properties in the land registry. So, we have less than 10 per cent in the land registry.

“It is only when you have land documentation that you can apply for building approval. That showed that the total number of people who don’t have building approval in Lagos is about 90 per cent,” he said.

He quoted the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development as saying  that people will be given ‘amnesty’ before documentation.  “So, if we say we are going to give you amnesty because you don’t have building approvals, then the best thing is to take advantage of the amnesty that has been announced,”  he added.

In his address, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, said the automation system was to make things easier and therefore urged the personnel in charge not to compromise for the system to be a huge success.  

He said: “We want to encourage people from the comfort of their homes to interface with the ministry electronically. They don’t necessarily have to be physically here before they get things done. In the comfort of their homes, they can apply and get approval.

“The innovation will be very effective because a lot of resources are committed to the venture and most importantly it is to eliminate compromise because now people will be interfacing with machines for necessary information, which will enable and simplify the process of building plan.”

Also speaking, the Director of the Physical Planning and Automation Department, TPL Musa Okuniyi, said Lagos residents should look forward to a future where technology and planning go hand-in-hand for the betterment of Lagos State.

He said: “As we embark on the transition towards becoming a Smart City, we understand that change is inevitable. I encourage everyone to welcome this change and imbibe the innovations that promise to make Physical Planning activities seamless and efficient.

“These advancements are not just about technology; they are about improving the lives of the people of Lagos State. They are about making our cities more liveable, more sustainable, and more resilient. They are about making Lagos a model for other cities to emulate.”