176 Primary Health Care Centres Receive Facelift In Anambra 

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

Dr. Chioma Ezenyimulu, Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Primary HealthCare Development Agency says that efforts are being intensified to ensure that every political ward in the state has an upgraded functional primary health care facility.

She stated this during an exclusive interview with our correspondent in Awka. She said Anambra state is a recipient of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund of the Federal Government which would be used to revamp and upgrade primary health care centres for quality service delivery at the grassroots level.

Ezenyimulu who explained that the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund was premised on one PHC per ward, said 176 primary health care facilities had received facelifts in their infrastructures and had been able to procure drugs and essential supplies for their PHCs.

She said they had also been able to equip their facilities with beds, fire extinguishers and other essentials for proper service delivery.

According to her, the agency has received approval for the upgrade of the remaining 156 primary health care centres in the state and that the target is one functional primary health care facility per ward of the 326 political wards across the state.

Ezenyimulu noted that the PHCs have doctors, nurses and community health extension workers who provide uninterrupted medical services to people at the community level.

She also disclosed that government would commence Midwife Service Scheme as well as the Community Health Influencers’ Promoters’ Scheme at the primary health care centres under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.

She however pointed out that people still patronized traditional birth attendants in very hard-to-reach communities maybe due to cultural inclinations or non-availability of primary health care centres but according to her, government has trained a lot of the traditional birth attendants under a scheme she mentioned as Saving One Million Lives Programme.

The Executive Secretary stated that the traditional birth attendants were trained on the hygiene practices associated with child delivery, antenatal services, immunization, referrals and what have you, stressing that inasmuch as they existed, there was need for them to improve on their services.

Meanwhile, Ezenyimulu emphasized that Governor Willie Obiano has renovated 63 primary health care centres and equipped them with facilities including tricycle ambulances which she said has helped tremendously in the prompt referrals of pregnant women in labour and other sick persons.

She also revealed that another 63 primary health care facilities would be renovated across the state to guarantee unhindered access to medical services in the remote areas.