The Ondo State government announced on Tuesday that it will invest N12 billion to tackle maternal and infant mortality in the state.
According to the administration, the monies will benefit Immunization Plus and the Malaria Progress via Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services Project.
Dr. Kunle Omode, the project manager, made the revelation during an IMPACT Project stakeholders engagement meeting in Akure, the state capital.
The project, which Omode described as beginning in late 2018 and ending in December 2025, has already cost more than N1.5 billion, with a another N12 billion anticipated for this year.
He noted that the project’s objectives include improving immunization programs, supporting effective delivery of maternal and child health care, addressing nutrition challenges, and preventing and treating malaria.
He went on to note that in order to combat malaria and maternal and child mortality, the state government has sought the assistance of stakeholders from all wards and local governments around the state.
He stated that the IMPACT initiative’s goals include improved nutrition, malaria treatment and prevention, and more effective delivery of maternal and child health care services.
The state began the project at the end of last year, and in that short time, he stated, “we have been able to engage non-state actors for the procurement of net for the prevention of malaria, we have engaged NGOs to ensure capacity building for health workers in the state, procurement of drugs is underway, and we have done so many social meetings with stakeholders across the LG, among others.” He went on to mention several other accomplishments.
In addition, we trained health management information state officers in all 18 LGs and 203 health facilities throughout the state. The state government has also purchased 216 new laptops for each head management information center, allowing them to send data directly from their location to the national platform, removing the need for paper records and facilitating the digital transformation.
As a result, the quality of data collected from healthcare facilities will be impacted for the long term.
Community village health experts will create demand, communicate information to women, children, and households, and refer patients with symptoms to health facilities as part of a bigger approach that we have developed.
Omode also revealed that the state administration has launched community participation in a variety of areas, including but not limited to nutrition, malaria, vaccine, Lassa fever, and many more.