LAGOS COMMISSIONER TASKS DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS TO IMPROVE HEALTH SECTOR

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has tasked the forum of  Lagos State Health Sector Development Partners’ on continuous improvement of the State health system.

Speaking to stakeholders at the first general assembly of the forum in 2019, Idris recalled that the body was inaugurated in the year 2011 to coordinate and strengthen and partnerships for health as well as create a viable platform that enables partners to harmonise all their activities and plans.

According to him, “The formation of the Health Sector Development Partners’ Forum was seen as critical to facilitating a coordinating system that would reduce transaction costs to both development partners, donors and government by streamlining systems for delivering aid and standardising procedures”.

“In addition, it would significantly help in reducing duplication and overlap of health activities being implemented by partners in the health sector while fostering synergy among the stakeholders, with the attendant enhancement of effective and efficient resource management”, the Commissioner said.

Idris explained that the General Assembly is one of the structures of the Health Sector Development Partners’ Forum and it provides the opportunity to share with a wider network of stakeholders, current plans and programs of the Ministry.

He stressed that the forum was informed by the realisation that significant challenges continue to confront the coordination of support in the health sector both in terms of interventions by different units and programs of the State Ministry of Health and its agencies on one hand and between the Ministry and other relevant government agencies and partners or donors on the other hand.

“No doubt, some successes have been recorded as the integration of services is on the increase between program and service delivery units within the health sector but there is still more to be done in this regard”, the Commissioner said.

He urged partners to collaborate in the areas of the recently launched Lagos State Health Scheme, Resilient and Sustainable System for Health, Lagos State Biosecurity and Bio-containment project, Mental health programme and Task Shifting and Task Sharing policy.

The Commissioner acknowledged the collaborative efforts of various partners including WHO, UNFPA, FHI, Save the Children amongst others in organising the meeting as well as in procuring the services of consultants to facilitate the forum.