Journalists in Anambra State have been taken round some completed health facilities executed by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo in the health sector.
The projects include Solution Rehabilitation Centre Nibo (Awka South), Solution General Hospital Anaku (Ayamelum), Soludo Specialist Hospital Fegge (Onitsha South), General Hospital Enugwu-Ukwu (Njikoka) and Solution Trauma Centre, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku Awka.
At Rehabilitation Centre Nibo,
the facility’s exterior has Lawn tennis court, table tennis, mini football pitch, lounge and sit out for inmates to relax themselves while its interior houses Skill acquisition unit, tailoring session, barbing session, theatre among others to make the inmates become self-reliant upon completion of their rehabilitation process. The facility will be powered by both solar and electricity.
At General Hospital Anaku, there is Pharmacy, Consulting Rooms, CMD Office, Laboratory, Accident & Emergency, Labour Room, Dental, Optometry, Ultrasound, X-Ray, Theatre, Doctors’ Quarters, Mortuary among others. The facilityu which was commissioned last week by Governor Soludo, is functional and had in sight, some pregnant women who delivered their babies there free of charge while three elderly men were recovering from Hynia Operation they had about a week ago in the same hospital free of charge.
At Specialist Hospital Fegge, the crew saw Accident and Emergency session, High Dependent Unit, Semi private wards, Labour Ward, equipped with Oxygen in all its beds. There is also a theatre, ultrasound, X-Ray, Incubator units and residence for specialists, doctors and nurses. Although completed but yet to be commissioned, the hospital will have the services of internal physicians, paediatricians, gynecologists, consultants among others.
At General Hospital Enugwu-Ukwu, the journalists saw women who delivered of their babies naturally and through Caesarean Session free of charge. There is also Oxygen Plant that supplies oxygen to both public and private hospitals in the state, particularly to all the PHCs at a very affordable rate.
Finally, the Trauma Centre Awka is a hospital inside a hospital possessing a highly digitized structure with intensive care units ranging from the orthopedic session, neuro surgery session, general surgery session, plastic burns to plastic units, with all the rooms being pipped with oxygen, oxygen alarm and monitors in each of the rooms. Again, almost all the rooms are self-contained. It also features MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image), X-ray, Ultrasound, VVIP, residence for specialists among others.
Briefing newsmen after the tour at the Trauma Centre Awka, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike said the aim of Governor Soludo’s administration is to increase access to affordable quality healthcare.
He noted that the Governor rehabilitated five general hospitals in Ekwulobia, Enugwu-Ukwu, Umueri, Nnobi and Awkuzu in Aguata, Njikoka, Anambra East, Idemili South and Oyi local Government areas in that order.
According to him, the present administration has renovated 130 primary healthcare facilities in the state with the intention of having one functional primary healthcare per Ward and one functional general hospital per local government in the state.
“In Primary Healthcare, last year we won the Best PHC Leadership Challenge, and smiled home with $1.2m dollars. When we came on board, almost six LGAs are without a general hospital but today, the story has changed. We are getting to the Second Phase of PHC. Already, we have equipped 326 PHCs in the state with 5kva solar energy and pipe borne water.”
Dr Obidike announced that the state is targeting to be the highest producer of healthcare workers exportable abroad in the next six years, hence the need for continuity of this government.
“In terms of human resources for health, 1500 healthcare workers have been recruited by this administration. We made almost a 100% increased in the salaries of Nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists etc. Thus, we didn’t just recruit, we are making them happy.”
The Health Commissioner maintained that Soludo’s administration prioritises health as a social responsibility of the government, hence almost 200 persons have benefited from free caesarian session and other surgeries in the state.
“In Anambra State, we have free antenatal, free delivery, free surgeries and free education from nursery to secondary school. Thus, from the time a child is conceived to his birth and up to SS3, the Governor takes care of him,” he said.
Dr Obidike noted that the state has built a Pharmaceutical Warehouse/ Central Medical Store containing quality Drug Laboratory to test drugs consumed by Anambra people to guard against consumption of fake and substandard drugs.
He explained that plans are in top gear to establish Anambra State Cancer and Diagnostic Centre while ensuring improved Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme.
“Of course, we have telemedicine in all our primary and secondary health facilities, with two doctors recruited in every local government to administer the initiative. The telemedicine ensures that when a patient comes to the PHC, he will link up and call the doctor and result will be achieved.
“We have Anambra State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, having about 40 ambulances to respond to health emergencies upon dialing emergency number 112.
“We have closed two baby factories in the state through the instrumentality of Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Unit. It is only Governor Charles Soludo that has the political will to close down those factories, some of who threatened us and gave us open cheque to be compromised, but we remained focused,” Obidike concluded.###
