By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Ondo State Government has distributed professional kits donated by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to 1,666 health institutions and training centres across the state.
The kits are part of the 10,000 donated by the President’s wife to nurses and midwives in the South-West during her visit to Ondo last Thursday.
Speaking during the distribution on Thursday, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s Special Adviser on Health, Prof Simidele Odimayo, said the state’s share would reach 75 per cent of healthcare workers, including medical and nursing students.
Odimayo noted that the kits were being shared across government and private health facilities, including the Federal Medical Centre, Owo; the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital; primary healthcare centres; and schools of nursing and midwifery.
He explained that the professional kits would motivate health workers, among other steps being taken by the state government to enhance the performance of the health sector in the state.
Odimayo said, “By giving them these kits and scrubs, they can be better motivated to care for the people. The wife of President Bola Ahmed, Senator Remi Tinubu, brought 10,000 to the southwest zone. And we are distributing the ones that are allocated to Ondo State to all our health facilities across the state.
“We have very many of them. We have both private health facilities, public health facilities, and training institutions. We also gave the kits to service institutions. The teaching hospital in Ondo, the Specialist Hospital in Akure, the Specialist Hospital in Ondo, the Primary Health Care, and the hospitals in the care of the Hospital Management Board across the state.
“Even our school of nursing and midwifery; we are distributing to all of them so that we can be sure that they will wear this material.”
According to the governor’s aide, the present administration of Lucky Aiyedatiwa had strengthened the Ondo State Drug and Health Commodity Management Agency to be able to buy drugs and distribute them to all health facilities across the state.
He added that the government had given some funds to support the agency so it could function well. He added that the state health insurance was not only limited to the pharma sector but also critical health sectors.
“The Governor is strengthening the health sector. Over 102 healthcare facilities across all the local governments in the state are currently undergoing revitalisation.
“You know, provision of accommodation facilities for the health workers, provision of lighting system, solar system, so that 24-hour light will be there. We are fencing the facilities to protect our facilities, provide water, and all those things so that we can have the health facilities functional.
“Governor Aiyedatiwa is employing health workers; they are being employed. The process is ongoing, employment and replacement of staff. The governor has been motivating our staff, enhancing their salary, and making sure their salaries are promptly paid so that we can be able to have a system that is running. So the governor’s commitment to the health care services in the state is top-notch, fantastic,” Odimayo added.