As the world celebrates Neglected Tropical Diseases Day (NTDs), Oyo State government has reiterated its commitment to improved health, noting that it remains one of the major cardinal program of the present administration.
The state government also called on relevant stakeholders in the state to collaborate with her in getting rid of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), in her bid to ensure a good and healthy living for all residence of the state.
The Commissioner of health, Dr. Basir Bello made the appeal while speaking in Ibadan during a press briefing on “2021 World NTDs Day” in collaboration with Evidence Action.
Dr Bello said there are no two ways about getting rid of NTDs in the state because of its effect in causing disability, stigmatization and even leading to death.
He pointed out that over one billion people in the world is affected by the disease with majority of them in the developing countries.
He noted that the devastating effect of the diseases on people cannot be overemphasized, hence the need for all to come together to combated it.
He said, “NTDs are a medically diverse set of 20 diseases affecting populations living in poverty predominantly in tropical and subtropical areas. It impose significant health, social and economic burden on over 1 billion people in all countries of the world.
“World NTD Day brings together civil society advocates, community leaders, global health experts and policymakers working across the diverse NTD landscape and unifies partners behind our common goal: to face NTDs and #EndTheNeglect.
“2021 is the year the World Health Organisation (WHO) will launch the #NTDRoadmap2030, with ambitious new goals to lead us into the next decade of collective action, this is why the Oyo State Government also joins the global community to celebrate the 2021 World NTD Day.”
In his remark, the Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Muyideen Olatunji maintained that the NTD unit of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board (OYSPHCB) is saddled with the responsibility of carrying out all the control strategies through safe and cost- effective Preventive Chemotherapy (PCT) in collaboration with the NGDOs.
He noted that WHO advocated five strategies for preventing and controlling NTDs; which include: integration of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) with public health measures; administration of safe and effective preventive chemotherapy (PC); Control of vector- borne NTDs; educating the risk population on control strategies of NTDs and intensified disease management (IDM).
Olatunji however said that the state government has decided to renovate and equiped at least one PHC in each political wards across the state so as to meet the demand of the people at the grassroot, adding that there would be an improvement in the PHCs in the next one year.
He also assured that the one PHC per electoral ward project in the state would soon begin to materialise.
