Enugu East senator, Chimaroke Nnamani, has explained how the presidential candidate of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, revolutionized the health sector in Lagos as governor between 1999 to 2007.
Nnamani, in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, said Tinubu achieved the feat through his 10-Point Agenda (TPA), known as Lagos Economic Advanced Programme (LEAP).
Nnamani, a member of opposition PDP who was governor of Enugu at the same times recalled that Tinubu’s LEAP, a strategy to leap Lagos state on higher sustainable growth, was admired, particularly those that concerned full execution of health sector reforms.
Chimaroke, who was recently suspended by his party, the PDP over his support for the APC presidential candidate noted that the reforms in the Lagos health sector carried out by Tinubu earned the state national and international awards.
He added that the APC presidential candidate achievements in Lagos state puts him in a better stead to lead the country at this time, noting that as governor, he improved the health sector significantly.
Listing some of the specific achievements, Nnamani said it was to Tinubu’s credit that HIV/AIDS prevalence in Lagos state decreased from 6.7 per cent to 3.5per cent between 1999 and 2007, while more than 2,000 women received Prevention of mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) in 10 PMTCT centres set up to prevent the disease.
The Senator also noted that Tinubu kick started the roll back malaria programme under which more than 3.6 million patients received free treatment and over one million treated nets and supplied.
Nnamani said that over 181,627 doses of the Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine formulation were provided, and intermittent preventative therapy for malaria in pregnant women was implemented.
“To end poliomyelitis, a national immunization programme was launched and Lagos state keyed in and more than 2.5 million children received the vaccines,” he said.
Under Tinubu’s government in Lagos state, he said that the state launched a School Health Programme that provided free eye screening and treatment for about 6,600 students and provided free milk to over 900 public schools, accounting for about 297,000 students.
Tinubu’s healthcare and reproductive programme, Nnamani said, covered children under-12 and adults over 60 and at no-cost prenatal care for expectant mothers.
He said: ”This plan also benefited public employees, their spouses, and four dependent children under the age of 18.
“This free health programme helped more than four million children, 1.9 million adults, and 1.2 million government employees.”
He said Tinubu’s reproductive health programme was responsible for training 420 community-based workers, 70 health workers, and 154 community health extension workers in the numerous reproductive health topics required by the state.
This, he said, helped more than 328,000 clients from the state.
On eye diseases, Nnamani pointed out that over 654,000 adults were examined as part of Lagos state’s Blindness Preventive Programme and 221,000 received free glasses and medication in addition to free medication, while 11,000 persons received free surgical procedures under Tinubu’s administration.
Lagos State’s budget allocation for health under Tinubu, he noted, increased from N1.6 billion to N11.8 billion between 1999 and 2006 while more than 3,400 people were employed by the state with over 5,000 healthcare professionals trained in various programmes .
To stop the brain drain from the health sector, Nnamani recalled that Tinubu implemented several allowances for medical personnel and initiated rural health ambulance boat service, hospital-based 24hrs free emergency services (LASEMS), Pre-hospital ambulance service, and drug quality control laboratory.
Others are the establishment of environmental health monitoring unit and completion of abandoned hospital projects among others.
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