Group wants Lagos to revive cardiac, renal centre

LSSTF Advocates Technology To Curb Crimes

The Lagos State Civil Society Partnership (LACSOP) has asked the state government to urgently revive the N5 billion Gbagada Cardiac and Renal Centre.In a statement yesterday, the group implored Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to fulfil his promise of allocating 15 per cent of the budget to the health sector.

Speaking on behalf of his members when they visited to the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, the chairman of LACSOP, Ayo Adebusoye, said there should be adequate budgetary allocation for comprehensive treatment of non-communicable diseases like thyroid and arthritis among others, while the ministry should publish health sector detailed annual budget online to ensure ease of access.

The body demanded that funds be allocated on a quarterly basis to support the Community Health Sector Forum (CHEF) in their role as independent quality assurance monitors at public health facilities in the state. LACSOP also demanded that adequate provision should be made for regular recruitment of health workers as well as incentives to prevent the critical shortage of health workers in public health facilities.

Responding to the demands of the visitors, the commissioner said there was need for the Disability Law to be reviewed. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has emphasised the need to improve the security of the state while advocating the use of technology to tackle the menace. Executive Secretary of LSSTF, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun, stated this yesterday in a chat with The Guardian on the state of security in the state.

According to him, the forthcoming annual conference of the LSSTF tagged ‘Transformational Security’ will address the many challenges of insecurity facing the state.He noted that in other countries, especially China, the security of the people was done technologically and effectively.Balogun noted that the conversation around security had to change from being reactive to being proactive, with all hands on deck.

He said: “We cannot be doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result in the state. Lagos population is high, and there are security challenges everywhere which range from cultism to terrorism, kidnapping and a host of other vices.“This is why the 13th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday, December 3, at Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island will witness a lot of experts to deliberate and proffer solutions on ways to tackle insecurity in the state.

“For instance, to tackle the problem of cultism in the state, there is need for aggressive sensitisation of the children and youths, engaging them and admonishing them to shun cultism. I believe it is better we catch them young.”