Lagos Assembly Moves To Tackle Problem In Health Sector

The Lagos State House Of Assembly Committee on Health has been enjoined to visit all the five general hospitals, identify their challenges in terms of health care infrastructure and make recommendations so as to give the House insight into the budgetary allocation that will be required for the health sector in the 2023 Budget.

The committee was also told to visit the 50 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres in the state with a view to identifying their challenges and proffer solutions for the Local Government Council (LGC) authorities on how to tackle their challenges in terms of provision of drugs to meet primary health care needs of people in their various localities.

The call on the committee of the House was sequel to a motion moved by Sokunle Olusola on the need to improve the health care needs of the general hospitals and Primary Health Care (PHC) centres so as to reduce pressure on the five general hospitals in the state.

The deputy speaker of the House Wasiu Eshilolokun Sanni who presided over plenary on behalf of the Speaker of the House Mudashiru Obasa said identifying the infrastructural needs of the hospitals would enable the assembly to make adequate budgetary allocations for the health sector in the 2023 budget.

He said the secondary and tertiary health institutions were expected to provide training, health services and specialist services respectively, saying patients often rush to the general hospitals for health care challenges that should ordinarily be handled by the PHC’s.

Another member of the house, Victor Akande, advised the committee to take into consideration the population of the location of the PHC’s in making their recommendations.

Earlier, the chairman House Committee on Health moved a motion calling on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to direct the commissioner for Health to upgrade the secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions in the state so as to meet the healthcare needs of residents.