Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has urged communities to take ownership of newly upgraded primary healthcare centres (PHCs) and protect them from vandalism to ensure sustained healthcare delivery.
Mr Otti gave the charge on Thursday during the formal functionalisation of the Amaokwe Item and Amaegbuato Nkpa primary health centres in Bende Local Government Area of the state.
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Represented by the Commissioner for Health, Ogbonnaya Uche, the governor said the facilities formed part of ongoing healthcare reforms that had made about nine PHCs operational in the area.
“Government has provided these facilities; it is now the responsibility of the communities to protect and sustain them because vandalism or misuse will not be tolerated,” he warned.
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Mr Otti said the upgraded centres were equipped with essential medical facilities, including ultrasound machines, auto analysers, oxygen units and laboratory equipment to improve healthcare services.
He said the facilities had been staffed with qualified nurses to provide round-the-clock services, while visiting doctors would offer specialised medical care when required.
The governor also said the state government was constructing a specialist hospital at Umunnato General Hospital to strengthen healthcare delivery in the area further.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving access to quality healthcare services across rural communities and underserved areas of the state.
Executive Secretary of the Abia Primary Health Care Development Agency, Kalu Kalu, said the reforms were aimed at reducing preventable deaths among mothers and newborns.
Mr Kalu said the government was working to ensure that every ward in the state had a functional, well-equipped primary healthcare centre with adequate personnel.
Chairman of Bende Local Government Area, Uwabunkeonye Bassey, commended the state government for what he described as unprecedented investment in the health sector.
Mr Bassey said that 16 primary healthcare centres had been approved for upgrade in the local government area to improve access to quality healthcare services.
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In separate remarks, President-General of Amaokwe Item Welfare Union, Harrison Okorie, and the Women’s Wing President, Mercy Kesandu-Uko, expressed appreciation to the government.
They said interventions in the health sector would improve access to quality healthcare services and increase life expectancy, particularly in rural communities.
(NAN)
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