In a bid to prevent diseases among the children in Lagos State, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has emphasised the importance of immunisation, urging parents to vaccinate their children and wards for a healthier future and a disease-free society.
The Deputy Governor, who made this charge today at an "Inaugural meeting of the Lagos State Taskforce on Immunisation and Primary Health Care Services", held at the Conference Room, Office of the Deputy Governor, Roundhouse, Alausa, Ikeja, said vaccination remains one of the most effective means of protecting the children in the community.
According to Hamzat, “Vaccination remains one of the most effective and reliable means to protect children from life-threatening illnesses, ensuring their growth and development in good health.”
He added that immunisation is a collective responsibility that will not only secure the well-being of individual families but also contribute to building a healthier future and a disease-free society for Lagos State and Nigeria at large.
The Deputy Governor also charged religious leaders and traditional rulers to collaborate with the state government in sensitising the people on the importance of vaccination and nutrition for their own children, noting that religious houses are always welcome to visit the government for clarification and enlightenment on the different policies put in place.
He noted thus: “Our royal fathers must also help us in the community to spread the good news that we have been able to sustain our health conditions because of vaccination.” Using COVID-19 as an example, Hamzat said contagious diseases have been eradicated in society because of the immunisation process carried out, and such can be extended to other illnesses.
While emphasising the importance of the inaugural meeting, Hamzat pointed out that it was crucial to include all stakeholders, such as the State Executives, members of the Primary Health Care Board, Traditional Rulers, Local Government Chairmen, Religious leaders, and others, because of the need for everybody to have an understanding of the severity of the challenge.
Similarly, in his address, Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Lawal Aina, charged the Local Government Chairmen in the state to encourage the people in their constituencies to ensure their children and wards embrace the immunisation programme to ensure a disease-free environment.
“I want to admonish us to intensify our efforts to do our best in encouraging our people to bring their children out for vaccination, as health education is a key responsibility of the chairmen in ensuring the good and well-being of the people,” said Lawal.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, stated that the primary objective of primary healthcare is to increase the coverage for immunisation within the state.
Prof. Abayomi added that human beings are living longer now because the world has advanced technologically to produce effective vaccines that eliminate both infections that cause immediate sickness and diseases that can lead to complications such as liver cirrhosis with hepatitis, cervical cancer with HPV, and malaria, which can cause significant depletion.
He noted that to improve the immunisation uptake in Lagos, it is important that the state government works on the aspects that make access to the primary healthcare more attractive to citizens, urging traditional rulers, Local Government Chairmen, and stakeholders to collaborate with the government to further boost the capacity of the primary healthcare.
“So, we are working diligently on renovating our primary healthcare platform. We know that many of you want to provide infrastructure to the state, and at the moment, we are doing 47 PHCs. So, I will be appealing to you to tag into this medical infrastructure transformation,” the Commissioner concluded.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary HealthCare Board, Dr. Ibrahim Akinwunmi Mustapha, explained that the establishment of the Taskforce reflects the second ‘H’ in the THEMES Plus Agenda of the State Government.
He said that it is a strong commitment to strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) governance, driving accountability, and ensuring that no one is left behind in accessing life-saving vaccines and essential health services, adding that the Taskforce has been constituted to provide a high-level platform for coordination, oversight, and problem-solving in the delivery of immunisation and other PHC services.
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