By Praise Chinecherem
Civil Society Organisations in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has identified a shortage of health workers, and a lack of medical equipment, power and water supply as major challenges threatening Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in Anambra State.
The Zonal Coordinator, ACOMIN Southeast, and Executive Director, Malaria Eradication and Safe Health Initiative of Nigeria, Prof. Dennis Aribodor stated this on Tuesday in a press briefing on COVID-19 Response Mechanism/Resilient and Sustainable System for Health (C19RM/RSSH) Project.
Aribodor said the gaps were identified during the implementation of the projects by the organization, calling on government’s immediate intervention in addressing the health workers’ dearth and other myriad of challenges in the health centers.
He also listed high cost of drugs, lack of staff quarters, deplorable condition of ambulances and lack of drivers during emergencies as other problems facing the facilities.
He said, “As we speak today, 100 percent of the centers lack adequate health personnel, some have one or two volunteers. Presently, we have less than 9 doctors manning over 300 health facilities in the State which is very poor.
“We call on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to pay more attention to health facilities, particularly the PHCs, they need to be functional.
“Just as he had done with the education sector by employing teachers, he should do the same in the health sector. He should employ more health and medical personnel to curb shortage of health workers across PHCs in the State.
“We also call on relevant stakeholders at all levels to support the CBOs implementing this project in the State towards improving health outcomes.”
Aribodor also urged residents to always access the health centers, at the same time feel free to make complaints where necessary, assuring the body’s readiness to take up such complaints with government.
Executive Director, Anambra State AIDS Control Agency, Johnbosco Ementa described the project as novel, assuring that his agency would leverage on the challenges thrown up during the accessment to assist the CSOs in planning areas of interface with the communities.
Earlier, State Program Officer, Mr Wisdom Jacob said the community based organizations have achieved much in less than two months through advocacy to decision-makers at the state, community and local government levels.
He listed some of the achievements to include donation of generating sets, construction of perimeter fences, completion and roofing of abandoned security posts, donation of mattrasses and wheelchairs, among others.
