Bayelsa Assembly summons commissioner, council chairmen over poor health centres

The Bayelsa State House of Assembly has passed a resolution inviting the state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Newton Igwule, council chairmen and heads, department of health in the councils over the poor state of healthcare centres in the state.

Also summoned to appear before the House Committees of Health and Local Government over the deplorable state of primary healthcare centres across the state are the Chairman and Secretary of Primary HealthCare Development Board (PHCDB) and Director of Public health in the state’s Ministry of Health.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the representative of Ogbia Constituency 1, Mietamar Obodor, during plenary on the need for functional healthcare centres in the eight councils of the state.

Obodor said the fourth schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) created the third tier of government to bring government closer to the people by providing basic social amenities and services for their wellbeing.

He noted that a crucial component of the social services were functional healthcare centres to take care of the people’s needs. He lamented that that the healthcare centres in the state, which are directly under the control of councils were either non-existent or in deplorable conditions where they exist.

Obodor stressed that the improvements of health facilities and policies of the state level need to be replicated at the council level, adding that provision of functional and accessible healthcare centres at the councils superseded other infrastructure needs.

Other lawmakers who spoke in favour of the motion, said due the neglect of the primary healthcare at the council level, quack health practitioners were springing up thereby endangering the lives of the people.

They stressed the need for regulators of the sector to step up their activities in the state. Earlier, the House Joint Committee on Ijaw National Affairs, Culture and Tourism submitted its report on Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro and other Heroes Memorial Day Bill to the House.