The deputy governor of Edo state, Hon Dennis Idahosa, has mandated for Primary Healthcare facilities across the rural areas of Edo state to be strengthened as part of effort to provide essential and accessible health services to rural dwellers.

He gave this directive when he chaired the 4th quarterly meeting of the state Primary Health Care (PHC) taskforce in Benin on Friday.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Friday Aghedo, the deputy governor challenged the local government chairmen to expand access to essential healthcare services across the state.

As the taskforce chairman, Idahosa
emphasised that all hands must be on deck to carry out the scheduled Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine campaign in Edo State in 2026 for children from 9months to 14yrs of age, regardless of their previous vaccination record.

The Taskforce Chairman and Edo State deputy governor while presiding over the PHC Taskforce Meeting stated that all hands must be on deck to carryout the scheduled Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine campaign in the state in 2026.

He noted that the MR vaccine campaign would be for children from nine months to14 years of age, regardless of their previous vaccination record.

He explained that the essence of the MR vaccine campaign is to boost herd immunity.

Idahosa declared, “Our collective goal is to reach every eligible child in Edo State with the MR vaccine. No child should be left behind.”

The deputy governor noted that the 4th quarterly meeting, which incidentally, is the last for the year was an opportunity to review the performance of taskforce and align and realign strategies for the year ahead.

He emphasised that health remained a critical component of the SHINE agenda of Governor Monday Okpebholo led administration of the state.

“Under his (Governor) guidance, we have sustained momentum in strengthening our primary health care system and expanding access to essential services across the state,” he stated.

The deputy governor expressed satisfaction that a lot of ground has been covered in the area of healthcare provision within the past one year.

“These outcomes are the result of your collective efforts and the strong collaboration we have enjoyed with our development partners,” he said.

He also acknowledged the “strategic leadership and guidance provided by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

According to him, “they have continued to play a vital role in aligning our state-level interventions with national health priorities.”

Idahosa said the first quarter of 2026 would be filled with activities as the taskforce would be carrying out strategic activities and direct interface with health workers across the 192 PHCs across the 18 local government areas of the state.

He stated, “We don’t just want to sit here in Benin and expect things are going well in other parts of the state.

“We want to have inspections and interface with some of the health workers and inspect some of the facilities where our people are getting treatment in our rural areas.”

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole was amongst other critical taskforce stakeholders who made strategic contributions to the meeting.