Edo State has successfully held its Fourth Quarter Primary Healthcare (PHC) Taskforce meeting at the Festival Hall, Government House, Benin City on the 18th of December 2025.
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Hon. Dennis Idahosa who is also the Chairman of the PHC task force in Edo, described the meeting as a major achievement. He noted that, this is the first time the PHC Taskforce has held all four quarterly meetings in one year. He said, “This shows the government’s strong commitment to improving primary healthcare and expanding access to basic health services across the state.”
The Deputy Governor credited this progress to the leadership of His Excellency, Senator Monday Okphebholo, who continues to place health at the center of Edo State’s development agenda.
According to the Deputy Governor, “We are optimistic that next year 2026 will be far better than 2025. We have engaged the 18 Local Government Chairmen, EDSPHCDA Directors, Religious and Traditional Leaders, Civil Society Groups, Development Partners, Representatives of MDAs,Media, Health Professionals, and Medical Officers of Health in extensive discussions on how to move primary healthcare in Edo forward. I am confident that in 2026, the gaps we experienced in 2025 will be properly addressed.”
The Deputy Governor also appreciated the technical and financial support from partners such as NPHCDA, WHO, UNICEF, JSI, Corona Management, and IVAC, noting that their contributions have been vital to the progress made so far.
While delivering his address, the Hon Commissioner for Health, Edo State, Dr. Cyril Adams Oshiomhole stated that “primary healthcare is the first point of care for our people, especially women children and the most vulnerable. Over the past month, we have made progress in coordination, community engagement, PHC revitalization and partner collaboration.”
Adding to the discourse, the Chairman of the Governing Board EDSPHCDA, Dr. Odiase Ehiabhi, stressed that the active involvement and commitment of the Local Government Chairmen is key to delivering quality healthcare, ensuring that PHC services reach people at the grassroots as well as help Edo State improve performance indicators
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, EDSPHCDA, Dr. Coulson Oahimire Osoikhia, said the meeting provided an opportunity to review past performances, identify challenges, and agree on clear strategies for 2026.
During the meeting, the issue of PHC leadership challenge was discussed by the EDSPHCDA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mrs. Esther Ajayi-David. She outlined key challenges and shared strategies to improve performance and help Edo State achieve better results in the 2026 PHC Leadership Challenge.
Stakeholders present reaffirmed their commitment to improving health outcomes for the people of Edo State in the coming year 2026.
A major focus of the discussion was also on preparations for the Measles–Rubella vaccination campaign scheduled to begin in January 2026. The campaign will target children aged 9 months to 14 years, regardless of whether they have received measles vaccination in the past.
