The Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge has affirmed the State Government’s commitment to the full implementation of the Save-One-Million-Lives Initiative (SOML) in the State.
The Commissioner for Health Dr. Nicholas Azinge made this known when he declared open the 2-day training for Monitoring and Evaluation Officers drawn from the twenty five Local Government Areas in the State.
Dr. Azinge stressed that the training, tagged Programme for Result (P for R) is crucial to achieving the objectives of the SOML Programme which is ‘an innovative healthcare financing mechanism that has been designed to assist the Federal and State Governments to bridge important financing gaps for key healthcare programmes.
He applauded the SOML Programme as a very welcome intervention in view of the dearth of funds which has been a major challenge in healthcare projects across the country.
The Commissioner said the programme is focused on six main aspects or pillars and two enablers; Improving Maternal Newborn and Child Health; improving routine immunization coverage and achieving polio eradication; malaria control, and improving child nutrition.
Dr. Azinge charged the participants to ensure that Delta State achieves the specified performance indicators to qualify for continued participation in this laudable programme and be awarded bonus financial incentives, adding that ‘whatever we do will be monitored and evaluated to ensure that the intended results have been achieved, as continuation of funding for the programme is strictly linked to verifiable results’.
According to the Commissioner, the training is particularly important, as it would build the capacity of the participants to collect and collate the data needed to assess the performance of the State. ‘You must, therefore, take this training very seriously, as the success or failure of the SOML programme in Delta State depends on what you learn today and what you practice on the field subsequently’, he further charged.
The Commissioner, used the medium to on behalf of the Governor, His Excellency, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, expressed profound gratitude to the Federal Ministry of Health for initiating the SOML programme and to the World Bank and other international partners for funding it as well as the consultant, Mother Gold, for their input since the onset of the SOML programme and for their presence at the event.
Earlier in her address, the SOML Focal Person who is also the Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer in the State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Gloria Igumbor, said the training is important to the effective implementation of the programme in the State.
She noted that sensitization and awareness will also be kick started in each of the 25 Local Government Areas shortly after the training of the Monitoring and Evaluation Officers.
The participants includes 75 nurses in charge of health facilities drawn from selected 75 pilot health facilities across the State; 6 SMOL Programme Officers; 5 Monitoring and Evaluation Officers and 4 representatives of the Consultants- Mother Gold.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of HP laptops and android mobile phones by the Commissioner to the participants to enable the officers carry out their assignment effectively.
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