Emulate Ethiope West Primary Health Care Initiative

Ugwumba Urges LGs

BY ROSEMARY NWAEBUNI

SPECIAL Adviser to the Delta State Governor on Health Monitoring, Dr. Rukewve Ugwumba, has called on local governments in the state to emulate the good example of Ethiope West in free primary health care delivery to improve their people’s health.

Ugwumba made the call when she paid an unscheduled inspection visit to the Oghereki Primary Health Centre.

According to our reporter, the governor’s aide and members of her monitoring team were surprised to discover that the free primary health care policy of the immediate past elected administration under Dr. Wilson Omene was still active in health centres in the area.

Ugwumba attributed part of the success story to the frequent assistance given by medical doctors from the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara to primary health centres (PHCs) in Ethiope West.

She said if such collaboration among tertiary, secondary and primary health centres, coupled with adequate funding and equipment, is extended to other local government areas, health care delivery will tremendously improve in the state.

She stated that since the management and funding of primary health care fall within the purview of local governments, it would be difficult for the state government to take certain decisive actions on primary health centres in the state.

Ugwumba stressed that if all local governments emulate the Ethiope West example, the state government’s vision of free maternal health policy will succeed as the PHCs are closer to the people.

The POINTER reports that matron of the Oghareki PHC, Blessing Osiki, who took the team on a tour of the facility, listed some of the challenges facing the centre to include shortage of hospital beds and blue seats for patients, lack of a standby electricity generating set, leaking roofs, among others.

Responding, the state Immunization Officer, Dr. Paul Yinkore, who was part of the inspection team, advised the matron to document the centre’s needs and submit it through the Local Government Immunization Officer (LIO).