By CHIOMA OBINNA

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has described the state’s free health mission is a demonstration of the government’s commitment and care to ensure healthier citizens as well as to achieve higher life expectancy among Lagosians.

Flagging off the 22nd Eko Free Health Mission, Fashola, observed that 19,340 persons had benefited by the 3rd day of the exercise, stressed that the need for a healthier life and a higher life expectancy, necessitated the various people-oriented programmes.

“This is the reason behind our beautification project. This is the reason behind our sanitation projects. This is the reason behind the massive investment in the clearing of drainages and the de-flooding of Lagos and this the reason why we have increased the water supply available in Lagos by 130 million gallons in the last three and the half years. All these efforts are to ensure a healthier citizenry”, he noted.

He urged striking doctors to sheath their swords. “This time is not a time for strike but a time the nation needs to make decision to progress forward. I want to say to the doctors that our nation is at a critical moment where it must make a decision to progress forward and we require every hand on deck to reclaim the glory of this country. We require every hand on deck to bring back over 24,000 Nigerian medical

personnel that provide the best services across Europe and America.

This is not a time for strike; this is a time for sacrifice”.

In admonition, he tasked the doctors to take a cue from their counterparts abroad who return to Nigeria periodically to participate and organise free medical missions. “We understand your agitations but money alone will not solve the problem and if you do not become part of the solutions the problems will persist. Everybody needs to get involved,” he added

Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris said many states had emulated the idea of the health mission initiative because of the success recorded by Lagos state but noted that free health mission is different in all ramifications stressing that the objective of the mission is to increase the access of people to healthcare.

He noted that government has built new health facilities, refurbished old ones, recruited staff and equipped them in order to make quality healthcare available and accessible to the people just has it has also constructed roads to improve access to the facilities stressing that

the success recorded in the health sector is a clear evidence of good leadership and shared vision.