The Oyo State Government has inaugurated a 20-man committee that will review its Public Health Law, to meet current realities and solve health challenges in the state.
A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, said that the committee, drawn from relevant ministries, agencies, law enforcement agencies, health institutions, and civil society organisations, amongst others, was inaugurated on Friday.
The statement says the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Olusoji Adeyanju, in a chat with Journalists, shortly after the inauguration at the Conference Hall of the Ministry, noted that the move was based on the need to continually preserve and promote community health.
Adeyanju explained that the law, after review, would play a significant role in curtailing the outbreak of emerging and re-emerging diseases.
He affirmed that the job before the committee required collective efforts, and urged them to come up with workable and applicable laws that would stand the test of time.
Adeyanju said: “The task ahead of the committee is to ensure the law shows the current reality on the ground in the health sector and public health issues that are of public health importance.
“The people of Oyo State will benefit from it and their health will be sustained and promoted. I believe the committee will do justice to that,” he stated.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice and Solicitor-General of Oyo State, Mrs Evelyn Akintunde, maintained that the document, which would be reviewed according to the extant laws of the state, would help improve the health status and well-being of residents.
While stressing the importance of the review, Akintunde explained that the Oyo State Government identified several lacunae in the law and set up a committee which would come up with a draft containing proposals.
She said that the review of the state’s Public Health Law was long overdue, as the law had not been reviewed since 1978.
She noted: “We commend the Ministry of Health and other relevant MDAs who would join in this review, and we will ensure the draft conforms with national practices that will address public health challenges.”
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, CP Adebola Hamzat, represented at the event by Mr Patrick Okafor, lauded the state for its pace-setting activities, asserting that having existing workable laws in place would make the enforcement easier.
Hamzat pledged the support of the Nigerian Police during the process of reviewing the law and after the enactment.
The event had in attendance the Permanent Secretary, Hospitals Management Board, Dr Mufutau Ayoola, and the Executive Secretary, Oyo State Agency for the Control of AIDs (OYSACA), Dr Lanre Abass, amongst others.
Confidence Okwuchi
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