The Organisation's Programme Director, Dr. Omotola Akinmolayan, made the call during the Community Sensitization and Stakeholder Engagement at Lakiri community with the theme: “Advocacy for the revamp of Primary Health Centres in Ogun State”, where the Foundation provided free medical care to residents, including their community leaders.
Built over 50 years ago, the Lakiri community health centre, which serves over 150 communities, has been abandoned for over 20 years, leaving residents exposed to health risks and resulting in the loss of many lives due to lack of access to healthcare.
Akinmolayan decried the deplorable state of the health centre, appealing to the state government to intervene and revamp the facility and other PHCs in the state, to prevent unnecessary deaths.
The WAF’s programme Director, in an interview with journalists during the outreach stated that the project is to leverage on media and technology, with the support of state and non-state actors to revamp primary health centres across the State.
Akinmolayan said “we are undergoing a project, that is, advocating for the revamp of primary healthcare centres in Ogun state and we are carrying the government along and other relevant stakeholders in the state.
“The project is to leverage on media and technology with the support of both state and non-state actors to advocate for the revamp of primary health care centres”, she added.
In his words, the community leader, Oba Fayemi Toriola who also expressed the challenges they face, traveling long distances to seek medical attention, said the Lakiri Heath Centre stopped functioning 20 years and appealed to the state government to intervene in reviving the once functional health facility.
He said “Government is really working hard and we know that they cannot do everything, but we are appealing to the state government to please extend their intervention on primary health centres in Ogun state to Lakiri Health Centre. This place was built over 50 years ago, but today it’s down. We renovated it like 10 years ago that is why it’s still standing till today”.
Soetan Oluyinka, resident of Lakiri community disclosed “This health care centre has not been functioning for a long time now. My mother gave birth to me in this health centre over 40 years ago. My elder brother was born here too. So, you can imagine. We are praying that government help us on time”.
