The drive to strengthen primary healthcare delivery in Oyo State moved a step forward this week as First Health Dynamic Synergy International Limited distributed mobile phones and communication directories to 66 Primary Healthcare Centres across the state.
The gesture, carried out in partnership with the Oyo State Government, is targeted at improving data collection, boosting coordination among facilities and enhancing early disease surveillance.
At the presentation ceremony in Ibadan today, the firm’s CEO, Prof. Temitope Alonge, explained that the devices were specially designed to help the PHCs communicate seamlessly, noting that such centers can now handle multiple calls at once.
He reflected on the importance of the upgrade. Primary healthcare, he said, remains the closest point of medical contact for most residents, and the ability of these centers to share information quickly could determine how fast emerging threats are contained.
He pointed to the approaching dry season and the attendant rise in Lassa fever risk, urging PHCs to use the new tools for rapid reporting.
“If something happens in a community, they should be able to reach one another and alert the right authorities before it spreads,” he said.
Prof. Alonge also revisited the earlier assessment of PHCs dating back to 2003. That review revealed several gaps, which later informed the criteria for the current round of upgrades.
Facilities serving the largest population in each local government were selected, preferably category three centers, and those capable of maintaining steady water and electricity supply.
From that process, 66 PHCs, two from each of the state’s 33 local governments, were chosen.
He outlined the three stages of the upgrade. First was the installation of a 10KVA solar inverter system to guarantee uninterrupted power.
Second was the provision of durable red brick incinerators for safe disposal of medical waste and the third stage is delivered computer tablets to each facility, creating a pathway for real-time data entry and the building of comprehensive medical records.
According to him, the new communication gadgets further reinforce the system by adding a mobile health layer to the digital foundation already in place.
The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, praised the initiative, describing it as a timely boost to the state’s PHC structure.
She noted that Governor Seyi Makinde has consistently provided room and enabling environment for innovation in healthcare delivery and said this intervention would strengthen service quality at the grassroots level.
The first batch of beneficiary LGAs whose PHCs have received their gadgets included Akinyele, Egbeda, Ibadan North, Ibadan North East, Ibadan North West, Ibadan South East, Ibadan South West, Ido, Lagelu, Oluyole, and Ona-Ara.
In their separate remarks, Akindaini Omobolanle from Oja-igbo in Lagelu LG and Ayoade Abiola from Samonda PHC in Ibadan North noted that communication flow among front line healthcare workers will become efficient and also enhance productivity.
Mrs Akindeyi Bolanle from Ofa Igbo PHC in Lagelu Local Government, who is a beneficiary of the initiative told journalists that the devices would make a real difference in how facilities respond to emergencies and support one another.
The gadgets, she said, would raise operational standards and ease communication across centers.
She expressed gratitude to Governor Makinde, the Ministry of Health and Prof. Alonge for the effort, calling it a welcome development for frontline health workers and the communities they serve.