Lagos State Government has restated its commitment to the provision of a high impact reproductive and child health care services as part of efforts geared towards Maternal and Child Mortality reduction in the State.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye who disclosed this today at the unveiling of the Saving One Million Lives Program for result  (SOMLPforR) implementation and closure report at the Providence Hotel, Ikeja, noted that the State Government is exploring the SOMLforR program and other maternal and child mortality reduction strategies to improve health outcomes.

Ogboye explained that the Saving One Million Lives program; an initiative launched by the Federal Government to improve health outcomes and halt avoidable maternal and child deaths represents a bold attempt to improve maternal and child health indices not only in Lagos but nationwide.

He added the initiative focuses on six important pillars of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health which include; improving Maternal Newborn and Child Health, improving routine immunization coverage and achieving polio eradication; elimination of Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV, Scaling up access to essential medicines and commodities, Malaria Control and improving child nutrition.

In his words: “I would like to welcome everyone to this dissemination meeting for the SOML saving One Million lives program for results which is a program that is focused mainly on expanding immunization, improving Maternal Newborn and Child Health, improving child nutrition, increasing up take of family planning and thereby improving contraceptive prevalence rate in Lagos, increasing up take  of HIV counselling and testing, improving on the provision of essential medicines and working on some capacity building for our healthcare workers, amongst other interventions”.

Dr. Ogboye explained further that the Lagos State SOML PforR program implementation and closure report gives a whiff of the management of primary healthcare in Lagos and how the activities have sustained some of the best indices recorded. He noted that the implementation and closure report also describes the interrelationship between the SOMLpforR program and the activities of Lagos State Government regarding maternal and child health.

He added that the report underscores the advancement of the health system in Lagos and its capacity towards structuring sustainable health for lagosians.

The Permanent Secretary noted that the report also highlights the synergy of the program implementation units in the collaborative effort of improving maternal and child health in Lagos.

Ogbiye however assured that the recommendations made in the report will go a long way to drive a more agile responsive and innovative primary health care services in the state.

Earlier in his address, the former National Programs Manager for Saving One Million Lives Program for Result, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana congratulated Lagos State Government for mile stone achievement recorded in the State health sector through the program.

He noted that the unveiling of the program implementation and closure report showed that the state is action and result oriented with sustainable plan to make good initiative thrive.

“I am using this medium  to congratulate Lagos State Government specifically Lagos State Ministry of Health for this mile stone achievement, having been the first state in the country to actually conduct a survey of all medical facilities in the state. 

“I am so happy to be here today to witness this dissemination of implementation and closure report of the Save One Million Lives Program in Lagos. Indeed, Lagos is an action state, lagos is a result oriented state and lagos will continue to spare head success in all facets of life.”. He said.

Program lead, Lagos State SOMLPforR,  Dr. Mazeedat Erinosho, in her remarks stated that SOML PforR has achieved a far reaching success  in the last four years.

She attributed the success largely due to the dynamic structure, system and enabling processes of the State government. 

Erinosho appreciated the Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye as well as the Permanent Secretary Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Ibrahim Mustapha for their unwavering support of the success of the Saving One Million Lives Program for Result in the state.

She however assured that the SOMLPforR team will continue to work assiduously in the provision of a sustainable health care delivery services in the state which is in line with the Health and Environment mandate of the Present administration.