Gov. Kayode Fayemi stated this at the inauguration of the equipment at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday.

He said that government had set aside N300m for basic health care provision fund, ahead of the much-publicised COVID-19 vaccines.

This, the governor said, was part of the proactive measures towards the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines by the Federal Government.

Fayemi, who spoke at the inauguration of the equipment at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, restated his administration’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery in the state.

He said that his administration had also set aside N300 million for the state’s Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.

The governor stressed the need for every child and pregnant woman in the state to have unhindered access to immunisation.

He also stated that his government was already working towards reversing the trend of high negative health data by putting mechanisms in place through the state Health Insurance Scheme to achieve universal health coverage.

Fayemi explained that equipment was aimed at achieving a temperature-controlled environment to store, manage and transport the vaccines to the point of vaccination.

He added that the idea of immunisation was to ensure that no child of less than five years or pregnant woman was left out of the vaccination process.

The governor expressed appreciation to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency for collaborating with the state government, saying that this had led to the modest achievements recorded in health and immunisation coverage.

“The average national figures of maternal mortality ratio of 512/1,000, infant mortality ratio of 67/100,000 and under five years old mortality ratio of 132/100,000 are unacceptable to us in Ekiti.

“Hence our intent for all of these investments in health services to improve the maternal and child mortality ratios, which had hitherto suffered setback immediately after our first administration.

“We intend to reverse the abysmal trend of our health data in the remaining years of this administration, as we have put mechanisms in place for sustainability through the state health insurance scheme in order to achieve universal health coverage.

“Our health insurance scheme is a process that ensures that people have access to the needed preventive, curative and rehabilitative health services that will be effective and of sufficient quality.

“It will also ensure that people do not suffer financial hardship when paying for the services,” Fayemi said.

The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Oyebanji Filani, commended the governor for his efforts at repositioning the health sector for effective and efficient service delivery.

He promised that the equipment would be judiciously utilised.