Mirian Gom 
LOKOJA, Nigeria – The renovation of 63 primary healthcare centres across Kogi State is improving healthcare delivery and patient safety, the Chief Medical Director of the Kogi Hospitals Management Board, Ayo Olayemi, has said.
Olayemi disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lokoja to mark World Patient Safety Day, observed annually on September 17.
He said Governor Ahmed Ododo’s administration had renovated three PHCs in each of the state’s 21 Local Government Areas, bringing the total number of renovated facilities to 63.
The government has also constructed seven additional PHCs in locations with large populations where communities previously depended on a single facility for primary healthcare services, Olayemi said.
“The primary healthcare system in the state is being strengthened,” he said, adding that functional facilities could improve timely diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.
“Human resources is a challenge,” he said, expressing optimism that the situation would improve as government measures to address the shortage take effect.
“As a patient, you have a right,” he said, urging patients to ask questions about their diagnosis, prescribed medicines, possible side effects and available treatment options.
Olayemi said medical errors could occur at different stages of healthcare delivery, including diagnosis, laboratory investigations, prescribing, dispensing and treatment.
He cited medication errors as an example, advising patients to seek clarification when medicines or dosages supplied differ from what doctors prescribed.
He encouraged patients to use the Servicom system or approach the chief medical director of the relevant facility for intervention.
Olayemi said complaints should not simply be received but reviewed and used to identify weaknesses and improve healthcare services.
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Korede Abdullah 
Oluwatobi Adu 