Abia govt. decries deplorable state of general hospitals
…vows to upgrade facilities
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Abia State government has decried the deplorable state of facilities at General Hospitals in the state and has vowed to upgrade them.
The Special Adviser to Abia State Governor on Health Care Service Delivery, Dr Ngozi Okoronkwo, who was not amused by the general decay in the hospitals she visited with her team, also noted that apart from facilities, the hospitals lacked manpower.
Dr Okoronkwo spoke on Thursday, June 8, 2023, when she led a team on an assessment tour of General Hospitals in the state, including the Umunnato General Hospital in Bende Local Government Area (LGA); General Hospital, Abariba in Ohafia LGA and Isuikwuato General Hospital.
The assessment tour, according to the Special Adviser, would take her team round the 12 General Hospitals in the state for proper attention.
She disclosed that the assessment tour would set the stage for revamping of the health sector in the state, stressing that the administration of Governor Alex Otti was passionate about upgrading various health facilities across the state to make them more responsive to the health needs of people of the state.
Dr. Okoronkwo decried the deplorable state of the hospitals, describing as unimaginable, a situation where only a medical doctor and three nurses were posted to attend to patients in a general hospital, disclosing that her team would submit report of her findings to the Governor for the next line of action.
She used the opportunity to charge staff of the hospitals to be alive to their duties as the era of redundancy was over.
In their speeches while conducting the Team round the health facilities, the Medical Doctor in charge of Umunnato General Hospital, Dr Chidi Uwanna; that of Abiriba General Hospital, Dr Genevieve Maduako and their Isuikwuato counterpart, Dr Okocha Sunday, listed poor security, lack of electricity supply, dilapidated structures, obsolete equipment, as some of the challenges hindering patients from patronizing the hospitals.
They expressed the hope that the visit of the team would turn the fortunes of the hospitals for the better.
It would be recalled that Governor Alex Otti in his inaugural speech at the Umuahia Township Stadium, promised to turn around the health sector of the state to provide quality health care services to the citizenry.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer, Hospital Management Board, Dr Charity Egwuekwe and the Director Medical Services, Ministry of Health, Mrs. Rosemary Ajah, joined Dr Okoronkwo on the tour.
