The Enugu State Health Commissioner, Prof George Ugwu, has expressed dissatisfaction with the operations of some primary health centres in the state.
He disclosed this when he inspected the health facilities at Primary Health Care (PHC) Type 2 Centre at Ofuku Emene, and the General Hospital, Udi, respectively.
He stated that, “One of the key doctrines of the present government of Enugu State, under Dr Peter Mbah, is optimal performance. My own interest is to make sure that health workers are performing optimally.”
THE WHISTLER reports that some of the challenges he identified during the visit included inadequate staffing and infrastructural gaps, low delivery rates, inadequate antenatal care, procurement issues, and missing medical equipment.
The commissioner, however, expressed optimism that the systemic challenges he identified would be addressed to guarantee quality health services in the centres.
In his words, “We will work tirelessly to address these systemic challenges and ensure that our healthcare facilities provide optimal quality services to the people. There is a wake-up call to address the systemic challenges hindering quality healthcare delivery. Citizens can expect improved healthcare services in the near future as the state government works to implement reforms.”
Meanwhile, a primary health expert, Dr Ephraim Ekwueme, has called for adequate sensitisation of the residents of the state to key into the state Universal Health Coverage. Dr Ekwueme, who reacted to the low patronage of patients at various primary health centres across the state, said the high cost of drugs was making sick people shun the health centres.
According to him, “The only way to encourage patronage is by crashing the cost of health services. Insurance is the way out. Fortunately, Enugu State has a fictional universal health coverage scheme. The residents are not sensitized to embrace the scheme. Many people still patronise quacks and unorthodox health practitioners to save cost.
“I urge the new health commissioner to liaise with the state ministry of information to fashion out means of taking the campaign for universal health coverage to the grass roots. The government is doing great by building these modern health centres across all the wards in the state. But the goal will not be accomplished if the beneficiaries were not scaled up.”
Prof Ugwu is among the new commissioners recently sworn in by Gov Peter Mbah.
