By: Felix Ikpotor
The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, has emphasized that primary healthcare remains the nerve-center for healthcare delivery in the health sector as it is the closest to the communities and to the hearts of the people.
Dr. Oreh stated this during a stopover visit at the office of the Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area while on a routine supportive supervision of primary healthcare centers in the area.
She noted that the visit to the various health centers will enable the management interact directly with the staff, getting familiar with their challenges and getting hands-on information on how best to make efficient primary healthcare services available to the people.
She said that the supportive supervision tour is also geared towards getting feedback directly from the facilities, adding that as part of the interactive session with the Chairman, it will further create avenue to get his assessement of primary healthcare delivery within Ahoada West LGA.
Dr. Oreh said: ‘’ Knowing that as part of the Council Chairman’s mandate in ensuring that Ahoada West people are well catered for medically, having access to the care that they need, we would like to work in synergy with the council authority to get feedback on how to strengthen our healthcare system at the LGA level across the state’’.
In sharing with the chairman of the Council the success recorded at the board, the commissioner noted that towards the end of 2024, Rivers State Primary Healthcare was rated number one in the South-South Region for Primary Healthcare Delivery having the State Deputy Governor receive the award on behalf of the Governor at the state house banquet hall Abuja, stressing that; “We are not resting on such achievement, we know that we need to work closely with our communities to build on the successes that we have recorded, navigate any obstacle or challenges and do more better to become the number one shining light in primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria’’.
In his speech, the Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Iyekor Ikporo said primary healthcare is one of the basic reasons of the local government because according to him, the people at the community level are the ones who need healthcare intervention the most.
The chairman noted that he inherited a system where things where done haphazardly in healthcare delivery system across the LGA, stressing that the commissioner’s visit was very important at the time.
He decried that poor attitude of the LGA healthcare workers which he said poses a big challenge to quality healthcare delivery to the people living in the communities.
“Their excuse was that they were not included in the health workers allowance called ‘’CONHEES’’ which at resumption of office has been implemented by my administration to pacify them to be committed and not feel left out in the system,” he said.
The chairman also complained that the LGA does not have a comprehensive list of health officers, which he said is a serious challenge as the nominal roll does not correspond with the officers on ground to render care to the people.
Ikporo, assured his commitment to partnering with the ministry to streamline the healthcare delivery system in the area to benefit the people and the State.
On his part, Executive Secretary Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Professor Kinikanwo Green, appreciated the council boss for implementing the payment of CONHEES allowance for the health workers in his LGA and the christmas package.
He assured that all challenges listed will be looked into by the board to further strengthen the synergy that has already been established.
