In a decisive move to bridge the urban-rural healthcare divide, Edo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Dennis Idahosa, has issued a directive for the comprehensive strengthening of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in rural communities. This initiative aims to transform these facilities from basic outposts into reliable hubs for accessible, quality healthcare, directly addressing a critical gap in Nigeria’s health infrastructure where rural populations often face the greatest barriers to service.
The directive was delivered in Benin on Friday as Mr. Idahosa chaired the fourth quarterly meeting of the Edo State Primary Health Care Taskforce, a body central to coordinating grassroots health interventions. In his address, the Deputy Governor framed robust rural healthcare not as a peripheral concern, but as the foundational pillar for improving overall health outcomes across the state. He issued a direct challenge to local government chairmen, urging them to “deepen access to essential services” and ensure governance delivers tangible, visible impact at the grassroots level.
Parallel to the infrastructure push, the meeting served as a strategic launchpad for the upcoming statewide Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign, slated for 2026. This campaign represents a major public health offensive, targeting all children aged nine months to 14 years—a catch-up strategy designed to immunize children who may have missed routine doses. “Our collective goal is to reach every eligible child in Edo State. No child should be left behind,” Idahosa stated, underscoring the campaign’s ambition for universal coverage.
The Deputy Governor provided crucial context for the campaign’s importance, explaining that such large-scale efforts are designed to bolster herd immunity. This concept, where a high percentage of a community is immunized, indirectly protects those who cannot be vaccinated (like newborns or the immunocompromised) by breaking chains of transmission. Success, he noted, will hinge on an unprecedented collaboration between state agencies, local councils, frontline health workers, and community leaders to overcome logistical and trust-based barriers.
Reflecting on the administration’s health agenda, Idahosa reaffirmed that health remains a central pillar of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s “SHINE” agenda. He expressed satisfaction with the sector’s progress over the past year, attributing gains to dedicated teamwork and strategic partnerships with development agencies and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), which ensures state-level interventions align with national health priorities.
Looking ahead to 2026, the strategy shifts from boardroom planning to hands-on implementation. The first quarter will be dedicated to intensive field engagement, with plans for officials to inspect and directly interact with health workers across all 192 PHCs in Edo’s 18 local government areas. “We do not want to sit in Benin and assume things are working elsewhere,” Idahosa emphasized, signaling a commitment to accountability and on-the-ground reality checks. This approach aims to ensure that policy directives translate into functional clinics and effective vaccination drives where citizens—especially in underserved rural areas—actually receive care.
The meeting, which marked the taskforce’s final session for 2025, was attended by key stakeholders including the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole, highlighting the cross-governmental commitment to these intertwined goals of systemic upgrade and disease prevention.
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