Former Governor of Enugu state and Senator representing Enugu East in the Senate, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani has for the umpteenth time praised the exploits of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) as former Governor of Lagos state who improved the health sector significantly.
Recall that the senator was recently expelled from PDP for anti-party activities.
Nnamani said it is to Tinubu’s credit that HIV/AIDS prevalence in Lagos state decreased from 6.7 percent to 3.5percent between 1999 and 2007 while more than 2,000 women received Prevention of mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT)in 10 PMTCT centres set up to prevent the disease.
He recalled that Tinubu kick started the Roll back malaria programme under which more than 3.6 million patients received free treatment and over one million treated nets as well as BCC/IEC supplied, respectively.
Nnamani added that Over 181,627 doses of the Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine formulation were provided, and intermittent preventative therapy for malaria in pregnant women was implemented.
“To end poliomyelitis, a national immunization program was launched, Lagos state keyed in and more than 2.5 million children received the vaccines as a result”, he said.
Under the Tinubu’s government, he stated that “Lagos State launched a School Health Program, which provided free eyes screening and treatment for about 6,600 students and provided free milk to over 900 public schools totaling about 297,000students.
Tinubu’s Free Health Care and Reproductive programme he stressed covered Children Under 12 and Adults Over 60 and at no-cost prenatal care for expectant mothers.
He said:”This plan also benefited public employees, their spouses, and their four dependent children who were under the age of 18. This free health programme helped more than four million children, 1.9 million adults, and 1.2 million government employees.
According to him, “ the reproductive health programme was responsible for training 420 community-based workers, 70 health workers, and 154 community health extension workers in the numerous reproductive health topics required by the state which helped helped more than 328,000 clients from the State”.
On eyes diseases , Nnamani pointed out that “Over 654,000 adults were examined as part of Lagos State’s Blindness Preventive Programme and 221,000 received free glasses and medication in addition to free medication, while 11,000 persons received free surgical procedures under Tinubu’s administration.“
Lagos State’s budget allocation for health under Tinubu, he noted increased from N1.6 billion to N11.8 billion between 1999 and 2006 while more than 3,400 people were employed by the State as well as over 5,000 healthcare professionals trained in various programmes.
To stop the brain drain from the health sector, Nnamani recalled that Tinubu implemented several allowances for medical personnel and initiated Rural health ambulance boat service, Hospital based 24hrs free emergency services (LASEMS), Pre hospital ambulance Service ,Drug quality control laboratory, Establishment of Environmental health monitoring unit and Completion of abandoned hospital projects among others .
The Tinubu 10 Point Agenda (TPA), also known as the Lagos Economic Advanced Programme (LEAP), a strategy to leap the state on higher sustainable growth, was admired, particularly those that concerned the full execution of health sector reforms, a development that earned the state national and international awards .
He stated that Tinubu’s record of achievements in Lagos state puts him in a better stead to lead the country at this time .
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