Sequel to the last media reports about the poor handling of Kogi State Health Insurance program at Okengwe general hospital, on Sunday 12th January 2025, I lead a media crew to the hospital to showcase the latest developments in the facility with respect to the state government huge investments in the health sector as Gov. Ahmed Usman Ododo mark his one year in office.
From general administrative structure to infrastructural developments, patient inflow, facilities upgrade, laboratory, human resources, availability of drugs/medical equipment and general security of the environment, Okengwe General Hospital obviously has transformed to a well-organized and comprehensive secondary health center in Kogi state under the leadership of Dr Udi Anderson, the Senior Medical Officer in charge of the facility with adequate support from the supervisory agency, Hospital Management Board (HMB).
The media team were conducted round the various units of hospital by the Senior Medical Officer, Dr Udi Anderson as the facility enjoys adequate government attention with accelerated development under the health sector consolidation program of Gov. Ahmed Usman Ododo.
Re-Organization of Okengwe General Hospital
The media team discovered that as part of effort to provide seamless and qualitative healthcare services to the people, the state government through Hospital Management Board recently employed the service of a qualified pharmacist for Okengwe General Hospital to professionally managed and dispense drugs at the health center. In addition, drugs and other medical supplies for the state health insurance programs have also been separated from those of regular patients visiting the hospital for adequate record keeping and accountability.
On the staff strength of the hospital, General Hospital Okengwe now boast of adequate and qualified medical personnel even though more are still required. The hospital has over 35 qualified nurses specialized in different aspect of medicine, pharmacist, laboratory technologists, among other medical ad non-medical personnel working assiduously to provide quality healthcare services to the people.
To firmly consolidate the implementation of his health policies, Gov. Usman Ododo recently convey his approval through the state commissioner for health to employ and deploy more medical personnel to Okengwe General Hospital to provide more qualitative health care services to the people.
Availability of Medical Equipment
In what could be best described as salient achievements of the state government in health sector, the availability of core medical equipment in the facilities provides huge relief to the people culminating into massive grassroots support for the government of Alh. Usman Ahmed Ododo. The hospital also enjoys enormous support from individual and Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs). For example, the moribund ambulance at the hospital has been brought back to life and put to use courtesy of “Ozomata Foundation of Nigeria”. In addition to this, the Chief Medical Director of Kogi State Hospital Management Board equally provided a bus ambulance with stand by official drivers and a functional morgue.
General Hospital Okengwe has ten functional oxygen cylinders as one of life-saving medical device that provides relief to patients suffering respiratory illnesses especially new-born babies with difficulty in breathing. There’s also a standard theatre for surgical operations and a suction machines. The hospital possesses oxygen concentrator and pulse oximeter devices. Those specialized medical equipment are currently being put to use at Okengwe General Hospital that makes the facility a place of choice for quality healthcare services.
At the moment, the hospital laboratory was not left out in the general restructuring processes. The laboratory got the assistance of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) as “Ozomata Foundation of Nigeria” rehabilitate the laboratory building, and donated a standard blood bank to the hospital. Presently, the hospital has over 30 pants of blood voluntarily donated for its emergency services.
KSHIA Program & Patient Inflow
The wonderful initiative of health insurance scheme by Kogi state government for her citizen to have access to quality healthcare is presently and adequately being implemented at General Hospital Okengwe to the delight of everyone. At the moment, the hospital attends about 2,000 beneficiaries of Kogi State Health Insurance Agency (KSHIA) and Bello Care aside the regular making it one of the busiest health centers in Kogi central.
In his official remark, the Senior Medical Officer in charge of the hospital, Dr Udi Anderson commended the state government for providing the necessary support both human and material resources to upgrade the hospital to a standard and functional secondary health center. The medical officer disclosed that Kogi state was rated among the first states in Nigeria to have successfully implemented health insurance programs.
Kogi State, FG & World Bank Interventions
The administration of Gov. Ahmed Usman Ododo in partnership with the federal ministry of health and world bank have picked General Hospital Okengwe for further medical infrastructural upgrade as part of his desire to consolidate on his remarkable health sector reforms. The joint intervention program is expected to expose medical officers to recent techniques on comprehensive, emergency, obstetrician and new-born babies with a view to further reduce the rate of maternal mortality.
While I commend state government for the huge investment in the health sector, there is still need to still draw the attention government to some pertinent challenges at the hospital. Water reticulation, power supply, electrical appliances, generator, beds, mattresses and office furniture are still lacking in the hospital.
The government should as a matter of urgency liaise with electricity distribution company to ensure there is more than one phase of power supply to the hospital in view it present status and critical medical operations going on at the health center.
– Abdulmumin Abubakar writes from Okengwe in Okene Local Government Area
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