Enugu Govt spent N800m on medical equipment, drugs in 8 years – Gov. Chime

The Enugu State Government says it spent over N800 million for the procurement of drugs and medical equipments in eight years administration of Gov. Sullivan Chime.

Chime who spoke at the 8th State Council on Health Meeting in Enugu on Thursday, said his administration had rehabilitated over 89 health facilities.

Represented by Dr George Eze, Commissioner for Health, Chime said that 34 health facilities and 21 health staff quarters were also constructed to provide adequate security for both staff and patients.

He called on the governor-elect to give the same priority to the health sector and boost the health related Millennium Development Goals.

“Health has remained one of the priority sectors of the state deriving from the service delivery area of our four-point agenda.

“Our investments in health have no doubt yielded the expected democracy dividends to our people, particularly the women of child bearing age and under five year old children across the state.

“It is my belief that the outcome of the council meeting will provide the stakeholders the opportunity to identify and outline the key health sector development agenda for the incoming administration in the state,’’ he said.

In a goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr Femi Thomas, said the Federal Government had spent N2.8 trillion to guarantee national health.

Thomas said that 96 per cent of Federal Civil Servants, representing over 3.5 million people and their dependents, were currently beneficiaries of the scheme.

He commended Enugu State government for adopting the scheme, and called on other state governments to key into the programme.

The Enugu State Coordinator of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Onyinye Emefiele, called for improved funding in the health sector for better health care delivery to the people of the state.

Emefiele advocated a compulsory health insurance policy for both income and non-income earners in the country.

Also, the Chief Field Officer, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Mr Charles Nzoki, said the organisation would continue to support the state in the area wide health coverage.

Dr Ngozi Nwosu, South-East Zonal Coordinator, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), expressed regrets that Enugu State dropped in the percentage of its immunisation plus coverage in the last quarter.

Nwosu called on the state Ministry of Health to step up efforts toward maintaining the lead in the immunisation programme in the zone.

The Enugu State Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr George Ugwu, called for urgent passage of the anti-quackery bill into law to help fight the menace in the profession.

Earlier, in a lecture titled `Public Private Partnership: Concept, Context and Constraints’, an International Consultant, Dr Kachi Chukwuma, said that PPP would encourage competition and improve health care delivery.