Osun State government through the Ministry of Health and in collaboration with the Early Childhood Development Project, a UK Department of Health and Social Care funded partnership between Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC) and the UK Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, under the Global Health Workforce Programme has launched an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Strategy for children of age zero to five years.
The programme, which aimed to improve early identification and intervention for children with developmental delays and disabilities co-developed the strategy with cross-sector stakeholders which was publicly presented during an event held at the Conference hall of the Ministry of Health on Monday, at the government secretariat.
In his remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Barrister Jola Akintola, assured that the project will be formally adopted by the state and also presented to the National Council on Health.
He added that the ECD project is accepted by the government, in tandem with the provision of the Quality Healthcare Action Plan mantra of Governor Ademola Adeleke, adding that Osun State is glad to be used as the pilot state for the Early Childhood Development Strategy.
The Commissioner used the medium to commend the main founder, the Early Childhood Development Project team, and partners such as WHO, UNICEF, among others for promoting health services in Osun state.
In their goodwill messages the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Social Welfare, Mrs Abimbola Babatunde, WHO representative, Dr Basiru Fatoki, UNICEF representative, pharmacist Israel Olasunkanmi and State Ministry of Education representative, Mrs Adeluyi, opined that investment in early childhood development promotes survival of the children.
The experts made the case for early childhood development for the good of the children to ensure they thrive in life, and called on parents to care for the development of their children from birth to age five, stressing the need for nutritious meals, and health attention which aids the development of children at this formative age.
The Team Lead of Early Childhood Development Project, Dr Oluwatosin Olorunmoteni, (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife. stressed that early childhood development interventions are cost-effective, adding that they foster the early development of every child, and that every child irrespective of their circumstance at birth, should have their development screened and promoted.
Speaking on the overview of the ECD strategy, she emphasised its structure: context for its development, vision and mission, guiding principles and implementation pillars, key programme areas and strategic actions, roles and responsibilities, as well as the plan for strategy monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning.
Dr Olorunmoteni stressed that the ECD plans go further than child survival in the state, supporting children to develop to their full potential, as well as the need for the Public sector health system to implement the early childhood development strategy.
She commended the Early Childhood Development Strategy’s consultant, the Former Vice Chancellor of Ondo State University of Medical Sciences, Prof Adesegun Fatusi for his tenacity in facilitating the development of the strategy.
The ECD project team lead used the fora to call on the government at all levels to support such plans in the interest of the children whom she described as the future of the country.
She added that “the development of the child can be screened when the child has been attending health facilities such as going to immunisation clinic, outpatient clinic and other routine checks so that those who are not developing well can get early interventions or care at tertiary level teaching hospitals, and to an extent in some secondary facilities, this includes children with developmental delays and disabilities like cerebral palsy, autism and others.”
Furthermore, she opined that the ECD strategy is multisectoral, cutting across, health, education, and social welfare, such that the children will be well attended to in hospitals by a qualified and well trained team, and that when they go to school they won’t be rejected or be stigmatised.
“Osun State is taking a lead by presenting publicly the [first] multisectoral early childhood development strategy in any state of the country, it is important to note that the world has moved from just emphasising survival, that children should not just survive, but thrive” she added.
In his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Adekunle Isiaka. noted that pivotal work had already been done on the Early Childhood Development in the state, through this pilot in Ife Central Local Government Area.
He assured that the project will be extended to all parts of the state in no distant time, calling on all the development partners to support the state government in this task.
Also, the Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Hospitals Management Board, Dr Bosun Awoyemi, suggested that the project should be adopted by all the states of the federation, while the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Development Board SPHCDB, Dr Oluwole Fabiyi, reiterated the readiness of the Primary Healthcare Board to support and implement the Early Childhood Development strategy in all the PHCs within Osun State local governments.
Highlights of the event included the public presentation of the Early Childhood Development Strategy, as well as the signing of the Statement of Commitment by the stakeholders in a bid to give the best of nurturing care, including proper nutrition, health services, responsive caregiving, and early learning opportunities, which are vital to establish strong foundations for lifelong health, learning, and well-being of children in Osun state.
Development Partners to this strategy include WHO and UNICEF, alongside stakeholders such as Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Global Health Partnerships, Bureau of Persons with Disabilities, MEPBD, Muslim and Christian Communities among others.
