The immunization programme has been very active and the people that are engaged are equally active. They have been going from house to house ensuring… - Cecilia Omaile Ojabo

I have witnessed a situation where a patient approach a healthcare centre and the doctor is not there. Anything can happen so I advised them to take their work serious and to be there when they need to be there. Healthcare delivery is like playing football. If I pass the ball to you and you refuse to pass it where it is supposed to be passed, the person can die and you know death is irreversible.

In recent years, the health sector has not been functioning as it should. A well-functioning healthcare system operates on three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Unfortunately, primary healthcare has not played the crucial role it was intended to. As we know, about 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas, while only 20 percent resides in urban centers. However, healthcare services are concentrated in urban areas, with 80 percent of healthcare facilities located there, leaving just 20 percent in rural areas. This creates a disparity between the distribution of the population and healthcare services. Our goal is to ensure that healthcare delivery is strengthened where the majority of the population resides. To achieve this, we have established a board at the state level for primary healthcare, aimed at ensuring effective connections and a strong referral system to make healthcare delivery more sustainable.

Polio is a viral disease and it multiplies where you have a dirty environment. But with the effective polio immunization programmes on ground, we will not have reoccurrence of cases of polio again. This goes for the other childhood diseases as well, If government can sustain the expanded programme on immunization, we will definitely get rid of polio and all other child killer diseases. And I want to assure that my office will ensure it is sustained in Benue here.