The Ogun State government is calling for collaboration between the private sector and government in order to develop Nigerian health care sector with a view to reducing medical tourism.
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The state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, equally called for huge investment in the health sector to reduce importation of medial consumables, which according to him, would help Nigeria save its foreign exchange.
Abiodun made the call at the official commissioning of the Med-In Pharmaceutical Limited, an intravenous fluid manufacturing company, Sagamu, Ogun State.
The Governor described the establishment of the medical company as another veritable investment in the health sector, noting it would go a long way in reducing importation of medical consumables.
While commending Med-In Pharmaceuticals for expanding its facility from 400 to 4,000 capacity intravenous fluid manufacturing per hour, Abiodun said his administration would continue to put measures in place to enhance ease of doing business in Ogun.
He noted further that existing businesses in the state have continued to thrive and new ones are being attracted, to increase the socio-economic development of the state.
The Governor said that one of the major indices for a developing economy is the health status of its people, reiterating that his administration would continue to initiate necessary policies and programmes towards providing efficient and effective health-care for the people.
“Observation has shown that the major reason why majority of our people travel outside the country for medical tourism is not because we do not have qualified personnel in Nigeria, but because of the medical facilities.
“It then behooves on us as a government and various stakeholders, to come together and look inwards with the aim of proffering solutions to all these challenges.
“I, therefore, call on various private organizations to partner with us in every area of the health sector. We are open to partnership and you will find us worthy partners”, Abiodun stated.
Abiodun, however, disclosed that his administration had begun to connect healthcare centres in the state to the broadband internet in order to leverage on the ICT for centralized Health Records Management System.
This, according to him, would help in the development of reliable database on healthcare system and telemedicine.
“our administration has implemented the restructured Health Insurance Scheme (HIS) to address identified lapses and make it more efficient and affordable”.
In his remarks, the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu noted that the commissioning of the pharmaceutical plant was an opportunity to improve on the demand and supply in the health sector, declaring that Nigeria has to be less vulnerable to market forces.
Represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, Governor Sanwo-Olu also noted that the third wave of the COVID-19 is currently being felt around the globe and enjoined Nigerians to continue to adhere to the Covid -19 pandemic protocols.
Also, the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, who commended the Awosika Family for the lofty idea, described that the plant as a significant leap for Nigeria, especially in the face of third wave of the COVID-19
In his remarks, the Nigerian Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, commended the investment which he termed as a “bold one” at a time of a global pandemic, noting that the plant was a significant addition to the pharmaceutical assets of Nigeria.
Dr. Ehanire, who pointed out that Nigeria was striving hard like other countries of the world to rebuild her economy, viewed the establishment and expansion of the pharmaceutical plant as a tool of providing primary and secondary employment for the people.
The Managing Director of the Company, Tola Awosika, thanked Ogun state Governor Abiodun for the role he played to ensure that the company got another land when it was asked to leave its previous site by the immediate past administration, even while he was yet to become governor.
Awosika explained that the company apart from expanding from its production capacity, also planned to venture into intravenous medication.
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