Imo Govt, urged to step-up primary health care -IVAC

The Imo Government has been urged to step-up in the level of primary healthcare service. This call was made by the Country Director of John Hopkins International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC), Dr Chizoba Wonodi, on Thursday at a two-day orientation workshop.

The two-day orientation workshop was based on the new Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) reform of the Federal Government, organised by IVAC in conjunction with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Owerri.

Deliberations during the workshop centered on poor state of primary healthcare in Imo and the new national primary health care under one roof reform which seek to strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) in the country.

The country director said Imo could only access funds from IVAC if the state adhered strictly to the rules of PHCUOR.

She said “we have decided to reform health care and bring it under one roof to enable us to monitor the programme effectively.

“We will assist Imo Government to access funds for the development of its primary health but all the rules guiding the programme must be adhered to.”

According to her, the Imo Government has taken the first step by establishing the State Primary Health Care Development Agency SPHCDA, which will help in driving the programme.

She then urged Gov. Rochas Okorocha to ensure that adequate facilities and manpower were on ground for the takeoff of the programme.

She said IVAC was committed in making sure that every Nigerian child was vaccinated and reassured the commitment of the donor agency in assisting Nigeria to overcome problem of primary health care.

She lamented that previous primary health care programmes in the country were marred by the lack of proper supervision and commitment, which she said gave rise for the new reform.

The Commissioner for Health in Imo, Mr Ngozi Njoku, said Gov. Okorocha had taken serious steps in addressing the problem of health care in the state.

He said “the Imo Government is committed to developing primary health care in the state.

“We have both structures and manpower to drive the PHCUOR; we assure you that
government will cue into the programme to further strengthen health development in the state.”

The Executive Secretary of Imo State Primary Health Care, Dr Emmanuel Emukah,
said the programme would guarantee quality health care delivery in rural areas.

“We have acquired facilities for our takeoff and we will make sure that stakeholders in the health industry are properly oriented on the activities of the programme”, he said.

He also commended Gov. Okorocha for establishing the state primary health care agency, adding that the agency and the state’s Ministry of Health would work in harmony to achieve the common goal.