The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has identified effective surveillance as a major tool in driving quality and functional healthcare delivery system.

The Commissioner who spoke at the State Health Sector Partners’ forum put together by the state government to strengthen the state government’s ownership and leadership role in the management and coordination of external assistance disclosed that the state was able to battle against the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease due to its effective surveillance system.

According to Idris, there is no health system without an effective surveillance system.

“The Ebola outbreak was a test of our health system but we were lucky that certain structures were already in place in Lagos state. Our surveillance system must be solid if we want a prosperous health structure,” he added.

Stating that the state is working towards improving on its surveillance system, the Commissioner cited averted epidemic of cholera cases in the state through its surveillance activities recently.

“Surveillance is basically tracking disease information or occurrence of diseases using data. With surveillance, you will be able to detect the disease status, collate data and established a pattern if you don’t do that you can never know whether there is an increase in a particular disease or not.

“When the state noticed a rise in cholera cases, we were able to traced where it was coming from through our surveillance system. It was coming from a particular source and that gave us information to go back to that area and find out what is happening and addressed it. This is how some epidemic is contained early enough.”

Idris explained that the forum was informed by the realisation that significant challenges continues to confront the coordination of interventions in the health sector in the state; both between interventions by different units and programmes of the state Ministry of Health and other relevant government agencies and partners/donors on the other hand.

He said the strategic goal of the meeting was to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of development assistance in the state.

He also disclosed that some of the partners are trying to assist the state in ensuring that maternal and mortality rates are reduced.   He said the focus of the meeting will be based on what the partners have on the table for the state.

On the progress of the meeting, Idris said the partners were happy with the state because they were addressing a common purpose to the benefit of all.