The Oyo State Government has declared its readiness to designate one Primary Healthcare Center for the care of elderly people in every Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Toyin Balogun, disclosed this at an event organised in commemoration of the International Day for the Elderly, held at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat, Ibadan.
Balogun noted that the Governor Makinde-led government has been people-centric by putting in place several interventions that are aimed at making life more meaningful for all segments of the society.
She revealed that the state government will soon kick-start elderly-friendly healthcare centers in nine local government areas, which will later be expanded to other councils before 2027.
The commissioner noted that the event themed: “Ageing with Fignity,” was held to add value to the lives of the elderly demographic and to teach them how to live a fulfilling life, free from health challenges, neglect and isolation.
She said, “In some communities, the elderly ones are being looked at with derision but the government of Governor Makinde is committed to leaving no one behind. My Ministry is responsible for the welfare of women, children, elderly and physically-challenged ones.
“We consider our elderly ones as a valued source, because these are people who have lived their lives in the service of their families, children and society at large. We think it is very important for us to make sure that we support them in their old age,” Balogun stated.
The commissioner revealed that the aim of the intervention is to add value to the lives of the elderly and expand the scope by next year in order to onboard more elderly people, saying her ministry is working in collaboration with a number of NGOs and agencies that have competencies in the care of the elderly.
Balogun asserted that programmes that will be sustainable beyond the lifetime of the present administration in the state have been put in place, such as social welfare intervention, so that the elderly will benefit from stipends once every two or three months, by next year.
“In addition to that, we are going to be designating one PHC as an elderly-friendly health care centre. And in the last discussion we had, we said it is better for us to scale our intervention so that we can monitor and measure the result.
“So, our plan is to deploy to the first nine local government areas and after six months, we re-assess and expand. The end game for us is that by the end of the timeline of this government in 2027, we would have been able to extend the programme to all the local government areas.”
The Guest Lecturer and Nutritionist, Dr Tunde Ajobo, appreciated the Makinde-led administration for implementing policies that are friendly to the aged, such as the prompt payment of pensions and gratuities.
He charged members of the society to take care of the elderly so that they can enjoy their old age, calling on the government to organise sensitisation programmes for the aged across wards and local government levels about what to spend their money on and ensuring their food is based on what is locally available.
Ajobo said, “We are supposed to be preparing people for this age so that they will be aware of different things. Most of them think old age is for sickness. Old age is to be enjoyed and not endured. The understanding has to be there about the things they need to know before getting to that old age in life. Anybody who is 60 years old is an old person.
“Some of the things that happen in old age are that there is pronounced dehydration. If they don’t take enough water, it will affect them. If an elderly person begins to skip meals, it’s another thing to actually look into. It will surely have a long term effect, because it can lead to nutrient deficiency,” he explained.
In their separate remarks, the co-Chairman of the Oyo State Elders’ Council, Dr Saka Balogun; Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade; and the member representing Ibadan North Constituency I in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Comforter Olajide, appreciated the Governor Makinde-led administration for its unwavering commitment to the people of the state across different age grades and social strata.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Olugbenga Jegede, who spoke to newsmen at the end of the event, commended the state government for organising the event, which he described as timely and a good one.
At the event, the government distributed cash and food items to over 1,000 elderly residents of the state, restating its commitment to catering to the welfare of the elderly in the society.
Comments are closed.