Rivers pledges to revamp PHCs facilities across state

The Rivers State government, through the Ministry of Health, has said the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara is poised on uplifting medical facilities, especially Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and General Hospitals across the state.

Speaking as a guest at a performance review for improved service delivery, organised by a Civil Society Organisation, Connected Development (CODE), the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, gave the assurance, saying that one of the focus of the current administration is that a lot of attention be placed on primary health care and by extension, secondary health care.

Oreh, who acknowledged that there are “immense gaps” at the primary health care level, sought the collaborations of community stakeholders in coming up with recommendations and policies that will aid the government improve in quality primary health care services.

“One of the focus of the current administration of the governor, Siminalayi Fubara is that a lot of attention be placed on primary health care and by extension, secondary health care. So the primary health care centres in our wards and in our communities and then the general hospitals.

” There are immense gaps at our primary health care level and that is why it is an area of importance to the governor. And by virtue of my role as the commissioner of health I am seeking strongly to include voices of those who are at the community level who experience these has on a daily basis. So that this will influence the guidance that I give to the governor and the recommendation that we make be sure I too believe that no one can know better than those at the community where the shoe  pitches them. And so you that experience of the health centers where it exit and you are in the best position to proffer  workable solutions and present to the Governor,” she said.

This follows complaints from community stakeholders lamenting the deplorable state of most government facilities, as some lamented the arbitrary citing of the facilities at locations far from reach during medical emergencies.

The stakeholders at the event lamented the rate of infant maternal mortality in some rural communities where primary health care services are either unavailable or grossly inefficient, saying some the centres are under-staffed, and there are no water, power supply.

While acknowledging the hiccups faced, the commissioner stated that the minister is currently mapping the centres to know know the level of functionality.

She said: “Following my appointment, one of the engagement with His Excellency involved a discussion about knowing, accessing the state of our existing primary health care facilities and mapping them according to location so that we know where existed facilities are and where they are not, and accessing the functionality of those that are existing.

” It was very saddening to see that following that mapping the location of the nearest primary health care facility or even general hospital for some communities is so far as to seem like that it may require out of state travel. We are still traveling within the state but the distance is as if we are living the state to access health care.

“One of the priorities of this government is to ensure that every community in every ward has a workable primary health care center. What that means is that we are looking to upgrading those that are existing. These are the gaps that have been identified and equipping them to make sure that they can provide basic quality health care services.”

Meanwhile, the Communications officer for CODE, Stephen Akinfela explained the essence of the performance review for oil rich communities funded by Ford Foundation, noting that it was for the purpose of bringing the community stakeholders and government to hold a conversation concerning advocacies carried out by communities and to see how they can be improved.