The Ogun State House of Assembly has urged the Ministry of Health and the Hospitals Management Board to scale up efforts towards delivering quality and accessible healthcare services to residents of the state.
Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Hon. Wahab Haruna, gave the charge at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, during the commencement of the 2025 mid-year budget performance review of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
While commending the Ministry for its ongoing commitment to health delivery, Haruna emphasized the need for stronger internal systems, prudent fiscal management and a renewed focus on service efficiency that aligns with the state’s development goals.
Also speaking, the Minority Leader, Hon. Lukman Adeleye, lauded the Ministry’s collaboration with the ‘Impact Office’ in improving infrastructure across the healthcare sector. He advocated for increased budgetary allocation to the Ministry, stating that additional funding would enable the government to reach more people with vital healthcare services.
Presenting the Ministry’s performance report for the first half of the year, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, disclosed that 75 primary healthcare centres across the state had been upgraded through a partnership between the Ogun State Government and the World Bank.
Dr. Coker further revealed that the health sector had been strengthened through the recruitment of 472 Community Health Extension Workers and 415 additional personnel under the Hospitals Management Board.
She stated that the Ministry generated ₦99 million, representing 43.64% of its annual revenue target. The revenue came from tuition and hostel fees at the School of Nursing as well as from hospital and laboratory renewal charges. The Ministry also recorded a 32.43% recurrent expenditure performance.
Coker appealed for increased capital funding to sustain ongoing projects, while listing other achievements such as regular supply of essential drugs, maintenance of state ambulances, health awareness campaigns, and ICT training aimed at boosting staff productivity.
She expressed appreciation to Governor Dapo Abiodun for his administration’s support of the health sector, and called for better integration of health initiatives with the state’s broader economic plans to prevent lapses in service delivery.
Permanent Secretary of the State Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Yinka Elemide, reported a 41.83% recurrent expenditure performance and a revenue realization of 54.9% for the period under review. She assured lawmakers of the Board’s continuous efforts to improve healthcare services across state-owned hospitals.
Other agencies that appeared before the lawmakers for performance appraisal included the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, the State Agency for the Control of AIDS, and the State and General Hospitals under the State Hospital Management Board.
