Ogun identifies data collection as tool for proper health planning

On Jun 22, 2021

The Ogun Government has identified quality data collection as tool for proper planning and implementation of the present administration’s vision of turning around the health sector.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, stated this while declaring open a five-day Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Capacity Building Workshop for directors, coordinators and M&E officers of the various state government health agencies on Monday in Abeokuta.

The commissioner said that the state government prioritised proper planning and effective implementation of health interventions, recalled that the Ministry of Health launched the 2021 Annual Operational Plan (AOP) and its first ever M&E plan in December 2020.

She said the workshop was to build the capacity of M&E officers and other stakeholders to further help policymakers in building robust and useful health data, expected to translate to informed decisions on healthcare interventions.

“The Ogun Ministry of Health understands that it is imperative to have a coordinated approach toward achieving the state government’s objectives in the health sector.

“The present administration envisioned a health sector that would aid reduction in maternal and infant mortality and increase life expectancy.

“We hope to achieve this by carefully using quality data to allocate resources appropriately for sustainable impact and outcomes. This training is crucial to further achieve these goals,” she said.

The commissioner added that capacity building would help state health officials to better understand the M&E Plan and improve the quality of health data available for informed decision making.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Adesanya Ayinde, said the workshop was the first in the history of the state.

MTO/NNN