By Magnus Emuji
A frontline stakeholder in the Delta State healthcare delivery system, Dr. Charles Eboka said that a new NGO known as Private Sector Health and Alliance (PISHAN) in collaboration with JIM Ovia Foundation has approached the state government through the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency to build and adopt one PHC in each of the 25 local government areas that are not enrolled into the Basic Health Care Scheme to run them for a period of 5 years before handing them back to the state government.
Dr. Eboka, who is the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics in the Agency, disclosed this in his office in Asaba when he played host to a team of ACOMIN officials, led by its chairman, Pastor Greg Sifo, accompanied by the Programme Officer, Sir Austin Uwede, who paid him an advocacy visit.
The Director said that an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) had been signed for work to commence soon, adding that ACOMIN should submit a list of such facilities for selection.
He stated that the 3rd and final assessment for the enrollment of facilities that were not enrolled before into the Basic Health Care Fund had been done by the National office in Abuja, stressing that the state government was awaiting the outcome of the exercise.
Speaking further, Dr. Eboka said MTN Nigeria had agreed to supply drugs worth N3m to 3 facilities in Agoloma, Araya and Igbide PHCs in Patani and Isoko local government.
Earlier, the State Chairman of ACOMIN, Pastor Greg Sifo, told the Director that the essence of the visit was to get feedback on the enrollment of more PHCs into the Basic Health Care Fund, just as he commended the state healthcare development agency for its partnership with ACOMIN.
Meanwhile, the State Chairman of ACOMIN, Pastor Greg Sifo and the Program Officer, Sir Austin Uwede, have visited the Director of Personnel Management in the Local Government Service Commission, Mr. John Akwakwa, where the duo reminded government stakeholders of the need to recruit nurses and other staff for the public health centres.
Uwede noted that there was an acute shortage of staff, especially nurses, adding that in some PHCs, only one nurse was attached to the facility, thereby making it difficult to render effective healthcare services to the people.
Responding, Mr. Akwakwa said that the commission was not unaware of the inadequate number of nurses and other personnel in the PHCs, just as he expressed optimism that the state government would soon nip the issue in the bud.
