Ambode hosts Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; reiterates commitment to primary care

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, Friday, hosted a delegation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he assured of the readiness of the State to support the new integrated health delivery programme of the Foundation as part of measures to improve access to Primary healthcare for Lagosians.
The Governor who spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja, said that the present administration is opening its door of partnership as his government’s main focus is to bring healthcare delivery to the people at a minimal cost.
“We are willing and ready to support the new integrated health delivery programme that the foundation wants to put on the table. In Lagos here, you already have a willing partner because our main focus is bring healthcare delivery to the people with the minimal cost and dwindling financial revenue for the country which obviously is going to affect Lagos state”.
“No matter how much we do on our budgetary provisions, we also need complimentary efforts from Multilateral Agencies and Donors. And even private sector stakeholders to deliver health service to our people”, the Governor said in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna.
The Governor recalled that it was part of his electioneering promise to bring governance back to the communities and make life easier for the people saying the partnership with the Foundation speaks much to the need for community governance.
He said the dream of the present administration is to have village health worker in every nook and cranny of Lagos that would render service to the people 24 hours a day and seven days in a week.
“You would also notice that the nexus of health delivery in Lagos is that no matter how much we try we know that several other people from other places will continue to barge on us. So we must continue to take advantage of the partnerships that we can muster to be able to touch the lives of our people”.
“Part of our own vision is that whatever it is that we have on ground now, we must involve and integrate our Local Government Health Management system into it so that we can all work as a team to improve upon what we actually have as health care service delivery now”.
“We look forward to a situation where in almost every ward and neighbourhood in Lagos State, we have a Primary Health Care centre that provides healthcare service to our people round the clock. We are ready to create the platform to allow this programme to be successful”, Governor Ambode said.
The Governor said his government is also committed to ensuring that whatever is needed to be used as Key Performance Indicators to improve on the management of health care delivery would be employed.
Earlier, the Deputy Director, Integrated Delivery Global Development of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Carlos Cuellar who led the team, said they were in Lagos to discuss provision of healthcare to the poor and how to improve access.
He added that they intended to introduce the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen Primary Health Care Centres in Lagos and determine the willingness of Lagos to participate in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the State and the Foundation.
He said the Gates Foundation intends to obtain a letter of intent from the State Government to participate in future partnerships.
He said the Foundation is also keen on addressing the financial barriers to access to healthcare as well as involve the private sector and review performance indicators that would ensure that the performance of the centres are moved to a higher level.
“We are proposing a partnership for the Primary Health Care Centres from the foundation that would not only improve them but address some of their challenges. We believe that their underperformance is not due to lack of efforts on the part of the State”, Mr Cuellar said.
Prominent among those who joined the Governor to receive the delegation were the Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Oluranti Adebule, the Chief of Staff, Mr Olukunle Ojo, the Head of Service, Mr Sade Jaji and the Permanent Secretary, Primary Health Care Board, Dr Bayo Oguntimehin.