By KP Reporter
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Fridday commissioned the newly constructed 80-Bed Ultra Modern Primary Health Care facility in Kosofe constructed by Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye, Member, Kosofe Federal Constituency in the state.
Sanwo-Olu, represented by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi made the commendation at the commissioning and handover ceremony in Lagos on Friday.
The ceremony was also to render account of stewardship which was tally with Hon. Agunsoye’s 61st birthday.
Sanwo-Olu, while commending Agunsoye for the facility, said it was first of its kind among the primary health care in the state.
The governor said the state government would ensure the facility was equipped with modern days equipment and health programme that would bring healthy children and health adults in the state.
He said: “The state government will decide if this 80-bed ultra modern primary health care facility will be the biggest one in the state.
“This is because I have never seen a Primary Health Care with 80 beds and this facility qualifies for a general hospital.
“Once the facility becomes operational, it is a place like this that the people can check their sugar level, BP level, immunisation schedule.
“I want to advise the people to also practise prevention rather than cure because it is better to prevent than to cure people and a stitch in time says nine.
“I am promising Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye that we will use this facility to promote a wellness strategic for your constituency and make sure that our children are immunise from common disease.”
Sanwo-Olu noted that 70 per cent, which is about 25 million of the people of Lagos, were under the age of 35 while many are under the age of 15 to 10 years.
He explained that there were two elements to human capital, the first element was to have a healthy baby born in a hospital like this facility giving his full immunisation and to ensure that the baby could walk and talk, he then moves to a school of this magnitude built by the lawmaker.
According to him, at the end of 15 to 20 years of good health and education, he will had become human capital which is the greatest asset any state or community can have, are the people that are healthy and educated people.
Sanwo-Olu said people kept talking about brain drain and the reason Nigeria was being targeted and particularly Lagos was because the state was bringing healthy children and educating them, adding that is was not a surprise to them that the whole world was after its human capital.
The governor said the country in an era of social health insurance, It was now mandatory that every Nigerian had a social health insurance scheme in their pockets.
“The law was passed four months ago by President Muhammadu Buhari which had changed the health care dynamic in this country. This is because with social health insurance, health financing becomes the guarantee.
“Therefore, with a guarantee of health financing, we can lift Nigeria from giving mediocre health care delivery to our citizens to where we can be given free health care at the international best form of practice.
“What we are going to do once this facility becomes operational, we will come here with the Ilera Eko Van and we will do a survey of your constituency,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye said the facility would provide adequate primary health care treatments to the every patients that used the facility.
Agunsoye said before now patients used to get referral to the Lagos State teaching Hospital in a situations where the health challenges was beyond the capacity of the hospital.
He thanked the Lagos State Government through the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabanwo and his predecessor, Prof. David Olawale Oke for always coming to their rescue.
Agunsoye said he donated a well-equipped ambulance to the Ameso Hospital to serve the hospital in emergency times, which was part of his contribution towards health care delivery to his constituents.
He said: “To the glory of God, a vital dividend of good governance that used to be tough task for me to deliver to my constituents will henceforth be done with ease.
“This is with the commissioning of an 80-bed Ultra Modern Primary Health Care Centre at Ojota Nursery/Primary School as my legacy project and parting gift to the good people of Kosofe Federal Constituency.
“With todays official unveiling/handing over ownership and management to the Lagos State Ministry of Health, this Ultramodern Health facility becomes a property of the Lagos State Government effective from this minute.”
Agunsoye appreciated his wife and family for their understanding and support through this period, also thanked the leaders and followers for working smoothly with him.
On his part, Mr Tunde Alao Olaife from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Pleateu State said the people of the community should count themselves lucky to have a representative of Hon. Agunsoye.
Olaife said the benefit of this facility was to save lives, keeping family together, extending lives, keeping people healthy, adding that what could defined a better society than a good health care society where lives would be saved and families would be kept together.
In his comment, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of General Hospital, Gbagada Dr Olusegun Babafemi congratulated Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye for the magnificent facility put in place for the people.
Babafemi noted that Hon. Agunsoye had contributed about 100 tablets that had so far been distributed and also assisted the hospital project.
According to him, We are proud of you and the General Hospital is close-by and we will be ready to offer mentorship to those that we worked here.
Also, Pastor Olowoyo in his remark congratulated lawmaker, describing him as his brother and worker in the church whom he had known for 14 years ago.
Olowoyo said providing health care facility to the people was commendable, saying that a 80-bed primary health care was a novel benefit to the environment and the community.
The cleric also congratulated him on his 61st birthday, praying that the Lord will continue to give him divine wisdom and strength, praying that this would be the beginning of greater things that he would do for the state and community.
Other highlighted projects commissioned by Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye yesterday include 6 Block of Classrooms at Ogudu Primary, Boreholes, Isheri North Police Station, Isheri-North GRA, OPIC, Isheri, Lagos, and several projects are ready for commissioning, while construction of 3.5KM Isheri North Road Along Opic Estate, Isheri Lagos Ikosi-Isheri LCDA is ongoing.
