Press Releases

Lagos Adopts Template for Development of Primary Health Care Centres

Feb 6, 2008 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Wednesday disclosed that the State Government has adopted a common template for the development of all Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) in the 57 local councils areas of the State in conjunction with all Local Councils areas.

The move, according to Governor Fashola, who spoke while flagging off the second phase of the State wide screening exercise for hypertension and diabetes at Apapa local government area will strength the PHCs to provide healthcare at the grassroots.

The Lagos State helmsman expressed happiness at the acceptance by the populace and the evident economic benefits to the state saying in the first round, a total of 38,865 people were screened of whom about two thirds (63.3%) were females with 5.2% being diabetic while 36.7% were recorded for hypertension.

Majority of the hypertensives were in the age range of 41-60 years while a corresponding bracket for diabetes was 61 to 80 years. 56 % of the participants were counseled while 11.7% were referred to either Primary Health Care centers for follow up or General Hospitals for further investigations and treatment, he disclosed.

Governor Fashola also said the present administration is determined to continue to give health its pride of place in the scheme of things particularly through the promotion of preventive programmes.

He declared that a major objective of the present administration is to guarantee the good health of the entire citizenry of Lagos State , stressing that the health of the people is the collective wealth of the society.

The Governor added that hypertension and diabetes constitute a major component of what is generally referred to a Non -Communicable diseases which include other disease conditions such as breast, cervical, prostrate and other less prevalent forms of cancer, road, industrial and home injuries and accidents as well as chronic lung diseases and sickle cell anaemia among others.

He explained that in contemporary times, developing countries including Nigeria are undergoing a major demographic and epidemiological is aware transition, with significant increases in the burden of injuries and non communicable diseases which are more expensive to treat and harder to prevent.

Said he: “as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria , our peculiar environmental and other risk factor predispose residents of Lagos State to some of these non- communicable diseases, but we are determined to continue invest heavily in the protection of the health of the people”

The Governor reiterated that the government would continue to support and reinvigorate other programmes initiated to prevent and control the incidence as well as complications of some other non communicable diseases.

He named the diseases to include free breast cancer screening program, free prostrate cancer screening programmes and free cervical cancer screening program, expansion of free limb deformity corrective surgery program, free cleft lip /palate corrective surgery program as well as promotion of hand washing habits at homes, schools and health institutions.

The Governor reiterated that at all time there is the need to focus on the preventive aspect of healthcare programmes as the surest way to ensure the delivery of a qualitative healthcare system that protects the greatest number of the people from disease and ill health.

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris had described the occasion as an ample opportunity to raise the awareness of the people about the threat posed by the two major diseases of diabetes and hypertension.

He added that it is expected that through concerted and unified action, the mortality and morbidity rate can be considerable reduced through the screening exercise which is going on simultaneously in all Local Government areas of the state.

The Governor later went round the screening points of the exercise which is expected to end on Friday.