Ahead of 2024 annual state budget preparation, Ondo state Ministry of Health has disseminated 2024 Annual Operational Plan that would inform the state budget as well as define the financial, physical and Human resources that will be allocated to achieve 2024 health plan for the State.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Awolowo Ajaka while speaking at the event which took place at the Sunview Hotel in Alagbaka, Akure noted that in providing accessible, qualitative and sustainable healthcare delivery system that meets the health needs of the good people of the state, operational planning was inevitable
He explained that the process of formulating the AOP for 2024 involved a one week comprehensive and thorough harmonization meeting of representatives of all the department in the Ministry as well as parastatals and Agencies within the Health sector in the state
He appraised that the disseminated document was timely and expedient as it would inform the 2024 state budget whose process just started.
” Ideally, annual operational plan should inform the state budget on health. It is of little importance if AOP is developed after passage of the budget. We took cognizance of this and ensured that 2024 AOP was developed and printed early to inform the budget preparation”.
Speaking on the content of the AOP, Ajaka averred that the document touched every aspect of healthcare delivery in the state while emphasizing that adequate implementation of the Plan would ensure efficient deployment of resources in the health sector of the state
He acknowledged the efforts of the development partners particularly UNICEF for funding the exercise annually while also charging implementing partners present to take advantage of the printed AOP document to further identify areas of support.
The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Pharm (Mrs) Folukemi Aladenola noted that Operational plan provides a road map for achieving strategic results saying once AOP is got right, the sector was closer to achieving the desired outcomes
Pharm Aladenola charged the participants to go through the printed AOP document and ensure its implementation saying it was the only way to justify the efforts in developing the plans as well as attain the desired goal for the state
She appreciated the Department of Planning, Research and Statistics for ensuring that the dissemination meeting was held in the last quarter of the year to adhere to the time frame of the sponsor.
While appreciating the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, Aladenola aknowledged the never ending support of the governor and the commissioner for Health for raising the bar of Healthcare delivery in the state
Representing partners in the state, the representative of CHAI, Mr Olumide Ayedun in his goodwill message appreciated the Ministry for always caring the partners along in all the programmes of the state
In his words ” we are taking this to all our donors and partners telling them that there are so much opportunities in Ondo state they can key into. I want to thank the Ministry for always listening to us, we were part and parcel of the AOP development and the Validation processes and we provided our inputs into most of the activities.
He therefore sought for review of the document in the upcoming year to give adequate attention to more activities that would impart the communities in the state while also assuring that all partners in the state would work with the document to guide their implementation process
The Director of the Department of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr Uche Odionyenma noted in the overview of the document that the AOP 2024 was targeted at implementing a time slice of the reviewed SSHDP II. He added that 2024 AOP document was unique as it incorporates HCD activities and reveals the expected funding from Partners as well as government on the listed priority areas.
Bisi Lawani
Ministry of Health
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