By Ismail Akinbola

HEALTHCARE is one of the major successes recorded by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in his first term. Now that his second term has taken off, the governor in his T.H.E.M.E.S agenda plans to take healthcare to the next level. The most assured way to achieve this agenda is to reappoint the team that did it the first time to take charge the second time around.

The leader of the health team, in the person of Professor Akin Abayomi who was Commissioner for Health, deserves a second term to complete the projects he initiated during his first tenure. This is even more appropriate going by popular acceptance of continuity in governance in Lagos State. It is also widely acknowledged that you don’t change a winning team. Abayomi has demonstrated to be the leader of one.

Abayomi’s appointment as the Lagos State commissioner for health by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2019 was widely acknowledged among health professionals and other stakeholders who have worked with him, as they praised his high level of intelligence. Even the media was convinced that the governor got it right by putting a round peg in a round hole. Under Abayomi’s watch, the handling of the fortunes of the state health sector was professional amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic among other major crises was a testament to his deserving the job even for the second term.

The erstwhile Lagos State commissioner for health parades intimidating credentials. Professor Akin Abayomi is a specialist in internal medicine, haematology, biosecurity, environmental health and human development. His recent records demonstrate his ability as a perfect fit for the job. Before he was appointed commissioner for health, Abayomi led the team in the establishment of the Lagos Biobank facility located at the premises of Mainland Hospital. The Biobank also helped during the COVID-19 response. A professional and a gentleman, Abayomi represents the epitome of hard work. During his tenure as the number one health officer in Lagos State, the health sector received a massive boost in both human capital and medical infrastructure development resulting in improved health indices, health promotion, disease prevention and control.

Others include reduction of maternal and child mortality; improved access to quality and affordable health services; better health financing approach, beneficial hand-shake with the private sector and improved partnership with health development partners.As an advocate of One Health Paradigm, Abayomi recognises that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and their shared environment. In his position as the Deputy Incident Commander of the Lagos COVID-19 incident command structure, he was able to motivate and coordinate human and material resources to combat the dreaded global pandemic which ravaged most developed countries of the world. This feat earned Lagos State National and international recognition and awards as a model State for health emergency preparedness and response.

Abayomi’s knack for excellence, his resilient spirit and his goal-getting attitude are evident in his quest and constant strive for health system strengthening and improved health outcomes which he said is tied to the apron string of good public-private partnership. His innate qualities reached a crescendo during the global COVID-19 pandemic response when his empathic, passionate, resilient and goal-getting traits became evidently visible. His crisis management skills; epidemiology, biosecurity and global health knowledge and experience; and his unique ability to work under intense pressure also came to light during this period as remarkable, earning him national honours and awards. Among these are the National Productivity Order of Merit, NPOM, award and Officer of the Order of Niger, OON, by the Federal Government of Nigeria in recognition of his high productivity, hard work and excellence in Nigeria’s health sector especially in the fight against COVID-19.

It is on record that under Abayomi’s watch, Lagos blazed the trail in COVID-19 surveillance, testing, clinical management, risk communication and vaccination exercise. Like the proverbial owl, working around the clock, Abayomi and his team doled out reports, statistics and policy shifts that helped flattened the curve of successive COVID-19 waves. Little wonder he was sought at the national level and his unique model of home-based care, testing strategy in partnership with private sector and quarantine was adopted by the Federal Government. As a testimony to his accomplishment, Governor Sanwo-Olu attributed his biggest achievement in health as getting Lagos out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to his remarkable and excellent stint with public health emergency response management, Abayomi has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the landscape of medical infrastructure which is usually deplorable in this part of the world, can witness remarkable turnaround with good leadership prowess, commitment and passion.

During his tenure, health infrastructure at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels were revitalised. Amongst the standout projects that he midwife, include the 150-bed Massey Street Children Hospital; the new 280-bed Ojo General Hospital; the 1,500-bed Psychiatric Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre at Ikosi-Ejirin; the Infectious Disease Research Institute and Doctors’ Quarters at LASUTH, Ojo and Gbagada General Hospitals. Abayomi’s unique idea of converting brain-drain to brain-gain through massive medical infrastructure overhaul, capacity building for human resources for health and welfare agenda for health workers has become a model and subject of discourse in different fora.

 With a conviction that a health system is a true reflection of its human resource capacity, Abayomi ensured training, re-training, capacity building and certification of over 8,000 health workers, and recruitment of over 3,000 to improve service delivery and meet the growing health needs of residents. Under his watch, over 800,000 residents were covered under the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme rebranded as Ilera-Eko.

His unique leadership style of regular public engagements, public speaking and press and public relations activities helped ensure citizens’ buy-in and ownership of various health policies, programmes and projects of the Lagos State Government. By all standards, Abayomi exceeded the demands and roles of his office as the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, clearly setting standards, creating records and surpassing the same in the same breath.

Following his giant strides in the health sector in the last four years, Lagosians, particularly health workers, and health development partners are happy and glad that Governor Sanwo-Olu picked the right man for the job. It is no surprise that Abayomi was named in the 39 cabinet nominees recently transmitted by Governor Sanwo-Olu to the Lagos State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation. Kudos to Mr Governor for returning the right man for the job.