(Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti. Photo by Arise News)
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has called on communities to take responsibility for newly upgraded primary healthcare centres and safeguard them against vandalism in order to guarantee continued healthcare delivery.
Otti issued the call on Thursday during the official commissioning of the Amaokwe Item and Amaegbuato Nkpa Primary Health Centres in Bende Local Government Area of the state.
Represented by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ogbonnaya Uche, the governor explained that the facilities were part of ongoing healthcare reforms that had so far made about nine PHCs functional in the area.
He warned that while government had provided the facilities, communities now bore the responsibility of protecting and sustaining them, stressing that any case of vandalism or misuse would not be tolerated.
Otti said the upgraded centres had been fitted with essential medical equipment, including ultrasound machines, auto analysers, oxygen units and laboratory tools, to enhance the quality of healthcare services provided.
He added that the centres had been staffed with qualified nurses to ensure round-the-clock care, with visiting doctors available to provide specialised treatment when needed.
The governor also disclosed that the state government was building a specialist hospital at Umunnato General Hospital to further boost healthcare delivery in the area.
He restated his administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare across rural and underserved communities in the state.
Executive Secretary of the Abia Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Kalu Kalu, said the reforms were geared towards cutting down preventable deaths among mothers and newborns.
He noted that government was working to ensure every ward in the state had a functional, well-equipped primary healthcare centre with sufficient personnel.
Chairman of Bende Local Government Area, Mr Uwabunkeonye Bassey, commended the state government for what he termed an unprecedented level of investment in the health sector, revealing that 16 primary healthcare centres had been approved for upgrade in the local government to widen access to quality healthcare.
In separate comments, President-General of Amaokwe Item Welfare Union, Mr Harrison Okorie, and the Women’s Wing President, Mrs Mercy Kesandu-Uko, expressed gratitude to the government, saying the health sector interventions would improve access to quality healthcare and help boost life expectancy, especially in rural communities.