…………..Governor Otti Says As He Welcomes REVIVE Medical Team Again.
FIC Report (Abia State) – Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has reiterated that health care is on the top of the agenda of his administration.
Governor Otti stated this when he received in the audience a delegation of the Revive Medical Team from Belgium who came for a Medical Mission in Abia State for the second time.
He thanked the medical team for keeping to its promise of coming again to the state for a free medical mission and said that reports he got from the last year’s medical mission were positive.
“I want to let you know that healthcare delivery is topmost on our agenda. We have driven the healthcare delivery system in Abia from where it was when we came in 2023 to the present level. We are not there yet. There is still a lot of room for improvement.
“The reports I got after you left were very positive. As of the time I was inviting you, I had not gotten the feedback but interacted with you, and seeing how serious you were, I was led to say come back next year.
“Just about a year ago, you were here, and I had requested that you return and get the government fully integrated into the medical mission,” Gov. Otti stated.
The governor assured the team that adequate arrangements have been made to make them comfortable as they carry out the medical mission.
Governor Otti seized the opportunity to announce that he would be flagging off the construction of 200 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHC) to be delivered in 100 days. He said that by the time he would be through with the construction of the first 200 health care centre , he would commence another set of 200 and would continue until all the Primary Healthcare Centres in Abia State are rehabilitated and retrofitted.
“By tomorrow, we will be flagging off the retrofitting and rehabilitation of 200 Primary Healthcare Centers. These primary healthcare centers must be delivered in 100 days.
“We took our time to design a prototype of a Primary Healthcare Center in Abia State. So, when you walk into a primary healthcare center, you will know it is a primary healthcare center in Abia State.
“By the time we are done with the first set of 200, we will also flag-off another 200 until all the 948 primary healthcare centers are fully rehabilitated,” Gov. Otti assured.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya said that the second missionary journey of the medical team is in line with the Governor’s vision towards bringing to the doorsteps of Abians free and quality healthcare services.
Professor Ogbonnaya noted that the team is expected to perform at least one hundred surgeries of different kinds, one thousand consultations on varying health issues, adding that this medical mission which is on the instance of the Governor has given many Abians the opportunity to receive quality free medical care.
He described the health mission as one of the many interventions of the Governor in the health sector, noting that in the days ahead, the Abia State University Teaching Hospital would wear a new look as it is currently undergoing retrofitting.
In his speech, the leader of the Revive Medical Team, Belgium, Dr. De Gazelle Herman and another member of the team Dr. Smart Oriaku said that the medical mission is in response to the request of Governor Alex Otti following the success of their mission last year, where thousands of people benefitted.
They said that the mission will see the team perform many surgeries, including Goiter, Hernia among others as well as medical consultations.
Signed
Abiakam Gloria Ify
HOC, FIC, Umuahia
Abia State.
