| ONI REITERATES COMMITMENT TO ERADICATION OF LEPROSY, TUBERCULOSIS |
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| Written by Lere Olayinka | |
| Monday, 01 February 2010 | |
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Ekiti State Governor, Engr Segun Oni has restated the commitment of his administration to the total eradication of Leprosy and Tuberculosis in the State.
Chief Press Secretary to
the Governor, Mr. Wale Ojo-Lanre said in a statement issued today, that
Governor Oni, who made this known while playing host to the National
Coordinator and members of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy
Control Programme in Ado-Ekiti said though the State has the lowest
prevalence rate of the diseases in the country, no effort would be
spared until the two debilitating diseases were eradicated in the
State. He stressed that the state Government would continue to work actively with development partners and donor agencies to realise these lofty dreams of getting rid of tuberculosis, leprosy, polio, malaria and other killer diseases. Oni who disclosed that latest indices indicate that polio, guinea worm and leprosy were on the verge of being eradicated in the state said his administration would soon introduce the concept of active case search for the diseases under which any health worker who reports any new case of the diseases in the State would be rewarded with a cash prize of N10,000.00. He noted that though the war on malaria was still far from being won in the state , his administration had so far distributed one million insecticide treated nets to the people adding that government was working towards achieving institutional coverage in the distribution of the nets by ensuring that all public and private schools as well as hospitals were giving the insecticide treated nets. Oni who noted that though the State had the highest life expectancy rate in country according to the latest Heath Development Index released by the World Bank, the 55 years indicated as the average life expectancy of the people of the State was unacceptable to him in spite of the fact it was the highest in Nigeria. He identified complications arising from diabetes and hypertension as the most common causes of death in the State, adding that steps were being taking to curtail the two killer diseases. Earlier the National Coordinator of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme , Dr Mansur Kabir commended the Oni-administration for the unprecedented growth recorded in the health care delivery system in the state in the last two years. He urged the state government to collaborate more with development partners and donor agencies to realise lofty dreams of getting rid of killer diseases and further strengthening the health system in the states. |
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