From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The 60th National Council on Health is currently underway in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The meeting which is the apex policy making body on health is scheduled to hold from Monday to Thursday, October 9.
Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, had addressed newsmen of the readiness of the health summit when he said that machineries had been put in place to ensure a hitch-free and successful hosting of the 60th edition of the National Council on Health.
Adeoluwa, who also doubles as the chairman, Local Organising Committee for the event, indicated that the meeting would be formally declared open by the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
At the briefing, equally attended by the Commissioner for Health, Mr. Babatunde Ipaye and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Dayo Adeneye, as well as representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, the SSG, said the theme of the meeting is “Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and the Health Sector: Matters Arising”.
Speaking further, Adeoluwa, noted the hosting would provide a veritable platform for Ogun State to showcase its achievements, particularly in the health sector, to the world and also rub minds with practitioners with a view to providing better health care services for its people.
He said, “We are happy to host this convention. It is a measure of improved confidence in our administration and the modest achievements we have made in the health sector since we came on board.
“We are happy that the Federal Government and the Ministry of Health found us worthy of the hosting right. We want to assure our people and our guests that we are fully ready”.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, disclosed health experts from Nigeria and abroad are expected to attend the 4-day event to compare notes and chart the way forward in the health sector.
Also speaking, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Health and Director, Department of Health, Planning, Research and Statistics, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Akin Oyemakinde, lauded Ogun State for hosting previous edition of the meetings, which he described as the most successful in annal of the Council. He, however, expressed confidence that the 60th meeting would be a success.