Dr Sola Pitan, the Medical Director of OAGH, while speaking at the unveiling of the week-long outreach said the programme was initiated to meet the on school-health needs of children within the community ahead of the 2024/2025 session.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme, in its third edition, was tagged: “Resume Healthy: Academic Excellence”.
Pitman said: “The initiative is to ensure a healthy life that enhances children’s learning between ages five and 15 during the school year.
“The children will go through paediatrics, evaluation, eye, ear, dental checks, nutrition/diabetes and social welfare services.
“We started this Back-to-School Health Outreach in 2022 and it has been increasing by the year with the number of children and partners we have.
“More people in the community now trust the government hospitals; they now trust us with their health care and so, they come with their children,” he said.
The Medical Director added that the Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu led government recognised OAGH’s growth and designated the hospital as one of the government owned facilities to start training medical house officers.
“We have got accommodation for them; we are ready and waiting for the visit of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to come and accredit us.
“We thank Gov. Sanwo-Olu for helping us to achieve that status.
“Our theatre used to be two but it’s now a four suite theatre; we have been able to expand the hospital services.
“This is a testament amongst all the good works that Gov. Sanwo-Olu and all the health care leaders are doing.
“All the trainings, capacity development, every other tool and supports are instrumental to our achievements; also support of the community.
“We are intertwined with the community”.
He said: “We are now a teaching hospital and well on our way to that status of being a specialist hospital.
“This hospital is giving its best to the community and this is a testament of the Lagos state government to further increase access to healthcare delivery”.
Speaking also, Dr Benjamin Eniayewun, Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Health Service Commission, lauded the hospital for championing the wellbeing of children in the state through its health initiative
“What we have on ground is best described as ‘the fact speaks for itself’, I can only say that this is the way to go.
“Prevention, sometimes is better than cure; health promotion is the way to go.
“And, there is so much we can do in this space before people fall sick, they’ll toe the line of wellness” he added. (NAN
