OSOGBO, Nigeria – In a groundbreaking achievement for grassroots public healthcare, the Primary Health Centre (PHC) Oke-Gada in Ede, Osun State, has successfully carried out its first emergency Caesarean Section (CS), delivering a healthy 3.5-kilogramme baby without complications, state health authorities announced on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
The landmark surgical procedure, confirmed as the first of its kind to be executed within a primary healthcare facility in the history of Osun State, was conducted by a specialized medical team led by Dr. Ashafa Musa, ensuring the full safety of both mother and child.
Okay News reports that the milestone was disclosed in an official statement released in Osogbo by the Executive Secretary of the Osun State Primary Health Care Development Board (OSPHCB), Dr. Shina Igbalaye, through the board’s spokesperson, Mr. Ope Bello.
Dr. Igbalaye, who paid an assessment visit to the facility on Friday, explained that the mother had consistently attended routine antenatal clinics at the centre throughout her gestation period, with a normal vaginal birth anticipated before clinical complications arose that necessitated prompt surgical intervention.
Commending the surgical team for their precision and swift response, the Executive Secretary noted that the feat demonstrates the expanding operational capacity of upgraded primary healthcare facilities across the state to deliver critical, life-saving obstetric care at the community level.
Dr. Igbalaye credited the achievement to the sustained health sector investments of Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, highlighting the recent recruitment of skilled health professionals and the comprehensive renovation and re-equipping of primary health centres across all 332 wards.
“The successful emergency Caesarean Section at Oke-Gada PHC is clear evidence that the administration’s investments in primary healthcare are yielding tangible, life-saving outcomes for our people,” Igbalaye said, reaffirming the board’s resolve to guarantee affordable, high-quality maternal and child healthcare services across rural and urban communities.
Expressing profound relief and appreciation, the father of the newborn, Mr. Adeniyi Kehinde, praised the medical personnel for their diligence and commended the state government for subsidizing essential healthcare.
Kehinde revealed that undergoing the emergency surgery in a private medical facility would have cost his family hundreds of thousands of naira, expressing gratitude that the life-saving procedure was rendered completely free of charge at the public health centre.
Public health experts view the expansion of emergency obstetric surgical capabilities to primary health centres as a pivotal step in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality indices, easing pressure on tertiary referral teaching hospitals, and ensuring prompt clinical interventions for obstetric emergencies across Osun State.
