Health
Otti reaffirms commitment to enhance healthcare delivery in Abia
Gov. Alex Otti of Abia has reaffirmed his commitment to enhance the people’s health through conscious and deliberate improvement of access to quality and affordable healthcare in the state.
Otti made the remark on Wednesday in Umuahia, when he formally reopened the renovated and rehabilitated Abia State General Hospital, Amachara, near Umuahia.
He expressed the readiness of his administration to fully restore the state-owned primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions in the state to function optimally.
The Governor said that his commitment was informed by the need to ensure that the citizenry had access to quality healthcare in their various communities in a way that nobody would have to travel outside Abia for medical concerns.
He said that the government was focused on reducing the burden of diseases in the state “through the provision of resources for the implementation of appropriate strategies and multi-disciplinary intervention to improve population health.”
Otti described the rehabilitation of the hospital as a strategic move by the government to restore the confidence of the people in public health institutions.
He said, “The achievement of improved healthcare delivery in Abia is significant to the overall development agenda of this administration, which is primarily aimed at improving the welfare of the people.”
According to him, a healthy population remains the prime asset of any government.
He promised that “under my watch, the health of the citizens will come first and be considered a higher priority.”
Otti said that the government had instituted a mechanism that would ensure that an effective maintenance culture got enthroned in the health sector, especially in the management of health facilities.
He also said that plans were underway to set up a holistic mechanism for sanitising drug distribution in the state.
“We are rolling out strategic initiatives to control fake and substandard drugs and guarantee that drugs come into the state from a reliable source, known for standard and effective products,” Otti said.
He said that the government would prioritise the welfare of health personnel by ensuring that their salaries and legitimate entitlements would be paid as and when due, and called for improved customer-relationship between health workers and patients.
He said that the government and the leadership of health unions had engaged in discussions on how to come up with better incentives for hardworking health workers.
“We believe it will not only reduce the ‘Japa Syndrome,’ but attract healthcare professionals, who are currently abroad,” he said.
Otti urged various communities in the state to take ownership of any government facilities in their locality to prevent vandalism.
He warned that anyone caught vandalising government property would be made to feel the full weight of the law.
In an address, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Ngozi Okoronkwo, said that the rehabilitation of the hospital was an indication that the reforms in the health sector would produce a better healthcare system in Abia.
“The first time I visited this hospital, I was in tears because of how dilapidated the hospital was and the doctors were on strike.
“I began to imagine all that patients that visit the hospital have to go through to access healthcare services.
“Today the story has changed as the present administration has rehabilitated the hospital and equipped it with state-of-the art equipment for the provision of quality healthcare services.
“We are just getting started with our plans for the health sector and as we roll out our plans, before the end of the first year of this administration you will see a truly transformed health sector,” Okoronkwo further said.
Earlier, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Francis Agu, commended the government for the massive reforms that had so far been executed in the health sector.
Agu said that the reforms had yielded a significant improvement in the delivery of healthcare services in the state.
He said, “The people of Abia deserve to receive prompt and efficient healthcare services and I make affirmation of the commitment to the realisation of this goal.”
The government also reopened the renovated Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Center and Eye Clinic, Umuahia.
The Zamfara Commissioner for Health, Dr Aisha Anka has confirmed the outbreak of unknown illness in the state which recorded four deaths and 177 cases so far.
Anka confirmed this in a statement issued in Gusau on Friday by the Information Officer of the ministry, Malam Bello Ibrahim.
According to the commissioner, the disease is characterized by abdominal distension, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, enlarge liver, enlarge spleen, fever and general body weakness.
“The illness is found in Maradun, Shinkafi and Gusau local government areas in the state.
“Children are mostly affected and the cases are associated with water consumptions.
“So far, four deaths have been recorded, 177 cases were detected,” Anka said.
“The incident has been reported to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), partners and all other relevant stakeholders.
“The ministry of health is currently on the emergency response phase to identify the illnesses and causes.
“Various biological human and animal samples, soil samples, water samples, agricultural and foodstuff samples have been taken to Lagos and Abuja laboratories for analysis.
“The ministry will continue to update the general public and all relevant stakeholders and partners on any update about the outbreak,”she added. (
Kano State House of Assembly has passed a bill for a law to compel intending couples to undergo HIV, hepatitis and sickle cell anaemia screening before marriage.
The passage followed deliberations in the Committee of the Whole House during plenary session,
presided over by the Speaker, Ismail Falgore on Monday in Kano.
After deliberations, the lawmakers approved the 3rd reading of the bill, read by the Deputy Clerk, Alhaji Nasiru Magaji.
Shortly after passage of the bill, the Majority Leader of the house, Lawan Hussein (NNPP-Dala), stated that “any person
intending to marry shall first submit self for medical examinations.”
He said the bill was considered and passed after the 3rd reading, following various legislative processes.
The leader further said that the bill was passed because the state had been battling with different health issues, including
HIV because people go into marriages without medical screening.
He said that the bill, if signed into law, would save many lives and curb the spread of life-threatening diseases.
“The bill will safeguard the health of citizens by institutionalising pre-marital testing to check the spread of diseases
like hepatitis, HIV and sickle cell anaemia,” he added.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), says it plans to commence vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) on May 27 in Kogi.
The state’s Team Lead of WHO, Dr Muktar Toyosi, said this when he led his team on an advocacy visit to the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Wednesday in Lokoja.
Toyosi said that the vaccination was meant for girl child of between the age nine and 14.
He said the ongoing sensitisation was to keep the people informed, and educate them on the vaccination of their children to protect them against cervical cancer in future.
”Kogi falls within the second phase of the programme. We are soliciting for the cooperation of the media in educating the people of the state on the HPV vaccination.
“There need for girls child across the state to take the vaccination to safeguard their future.
“Although the vaccine was initially scarce and difficult to get, the good news now is that it has been made available by the government,” Toyosi said.
Also speaking, the State Technical Assistant for WHO, Dr Ahmed Attah, said that the HPV mostly affect women, adding that the vaccination remained a preventive measure against the disease.
Attah, a former state Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and a former Chief Medical Director (CMD), Kogi Specialist Hospital (KSSH) Lokoja, urged parents and guardians to avail their children of the vaccination to justify government’s investment.
In his response, the Kogi NUJ Chairman, Mr Seidu Ademu, described the health sector as very critical, stressing that the vaccination was a right step in the right direction.
Ademu promised a robust partnership with WHO to enable the team to achieve its set goals.
He stressed the need to inform, educate and sensitise the general public on the need to embrace the vaccine by ensuring that girls within the age range were vaccinated.
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