The Ogun State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing healthcare services by adopting global benchmarks for performance measurement, including key maternal and child health indicators.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, made this known during a stakeholders’ review meeting on the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health + Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) scorecard. She emphasized the importance of data-driven evaluations over subjective assessments.
Dr. Coker highlighted the progress made in healthcare over the past five years but stressed the need for measurable outcomes to avoid an inflated perception of success. She noted that Nigeria had moved away from evaluating healthcare programs in isolation.
Ogun State’s performance, she explained, would now be assessed against global health standards, including maternal and under-five mortality rates, contraceptive prevalence, and the usage of insecticide-treated nets.
“The RMNCAH+N scorecards are management tools utilized across Africa to enhance accountability, advocacy, and transparency while improving health outcomes. In Ogun State, we have recorded significant progress but must align our performance with global standards,” Dr. Coker stated.
She further explained that the review would focus on detailed scorecard analyses at the Local Government level to identify underperforming areas and deploy targeted interventions. The aim, she noted, was not punitive but to address gaps, understand root causes, and allocate resources strategically to improve service delivery.
Dr. Coker also called on stakeholders to prioritize resource allocation based on competence and efficiency rather than hierarchy.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Kayode Oladehinde, reiterated the state government’s dedication to strengthening its healthcare system through evidence-based decisions and continuous evaluations.
Representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mrs. Amina Bwala and Mr. Tari Akpandara, respectively, lauded the review meeting as a vital step towards improving healthcare in the state. They pledged their continued support for the state’s healthcare initiatives.
