The Edo State Government has met with developmental partners in the state’s health sector to improve synergy and efficiency in programme implementation towards achieving Universal Health Coverage and ensuring a strong and resilient health system to provide quality healthcare to Edo people.

The Edo State Health Commissioner, Prof. Akoria Obehi, disclosed this after the health sector partners’ alignment meeting held in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The meeting had representatives from the World Health Organization, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Carter Foundation.

Others are the Challenge Initiative (TCI), MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity (MRITE), Red Cross, Society for Family Health (SFH), Damien Foundation (DF) and health Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Edo State, among others.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to developing a vibrant, strong and resilient health system to deliver quality healthcare services to Edo people, Prof. Akoria reassured that the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led state government will sustain ongoing reforms and programmes to reposition the state as the medical hub of the country.

She acknowledged the pains of the development partners who on some occasions fail to achieve their desired goals despite their financial and technical investments in the State, noting that coordination and synergy between the Health Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) and development partners would need to be strengthened in order to achieve goals and improve outcomes in the State.

According to her, “The Edo State Government through the State’s Ministry of Health has concluded a stakeholders' meeting to improve synergy and efficiency in programme implementation, monitoring, and evaluation amongst partners working with the health MDAs in Edo State.

“Among other things, the platform was necessary to clarify and streamline MDA roles in partner-supported programmes and harmonize and strengthen working relationships within and between partners and MDAs.

“It also afforded the Ministry the opportunity to establish and strengthen monitoring and evaluation for all partner-supported programmes and to achieve Annual Operational Plan alignment for 2023.”

The health commissioner further noted that “prominent among the request for support from the health MDAs were the provision of alternative power and safe water supply for secondary health facilities, creation of health data repositories which will function in parallel to the DHIS2 to ease data management in the state, training of healthcare workers in disease prevention and control, and in the development and use of standard operating procedures (SOPs), ramping up of integrated monitoring and supervisory visits to health facilities and integration of preventive oral healthcare services into immunization programmes.”