FIC REPORT (ABIA STATE) – Abia State Government has stepped up efforts to eliminate preventable maternal and child deaths, with Deputy Governor and Chairman of the State Primary Health Care Task Force, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, demanding stronger measures to achieve a zero-death record across the state.
Emetu made the call while presiding over the third-quarter meeting of the Abia State Primary Health Care Task Force at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Governor’s Office, Government House, Umuahia.
The meeting reviewed the state’s primary healthcare performance during the quarter, assessed achievements and challenges, and adopted measures to further strengthen healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
The Deputy Governor commended members of the task force, health agencies and development partners for their contributions to improvements recorded in immunisation, disease surveillance, malaria control, child health and other areas of primary healthcare.
He, however, expressed concern over the report of four deaths during the period, stressing that the state must intensify efforts to prevent avoidable deaths.
“We must work towards a zero-death record,” Emetu said, calling for improved antenatal care completion, stronger community outreach programmes, expanded adolescent health services and a more effective emergency referral and transportation system.
The Deputy Governor also directed that gaps identified in the health sector must translate into concrete actions with clearly defined responsibilities, timelines and measurable outcomes.
He stressed that quarterly meetings should not end with the identification of challenges and recommendations, but must be followed by effective implementation and assessment of their impact on residents.
Emetu further identified shortages and absenteeism among healthcare workers as challenges requiring urgent attention, directing that personnel deployed to primary healthcare facilities must remain at their duty posts and provide services to the communities they were assigned to serve.
He disclosed that the state was strengthening cold-chain infrastructure across renovated and retrofitted health facilities, while also working to address human-resource gaps within available resources.
According to him, the administration’s goal is to build a primary healthcare system that residents can trust, where pregnant women receive adequate care, children have access to vaccines, emergencies are referred without delay, and essential medicines and qualified personnel are available.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Kalu Ulu Kalu, said the meeting provided an opportunity to review the achievements of the previous three months, identify areas of underperformance and develop recommendations for improved healthcare delivery.
Kalu said the exercise was not intended to apportion blame but to objectively examine facts and figures and proffer practical solutions to identified challenges.
He commended Deputy Governor Emetu for his commitment and support towards strengthening primary healthcare delivery across the state.
Representatives of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF also commended the Abia State Government for its commitment to revitalising primary healthcare.
The NPHCDA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muyi Aina, represented by Mrs. Onu Ibeleme, commended the state for its ongoing interventions and efforts to revitalise primary healthcare centres.
Similarly, the WHO representative, Mr. Ayokaewe Ekpoudom, who represented the State Coordinator, Dr. Oluchukwu Nwaeze, commended Governor Alex Chioma Otti and Deputy Governor Emetu, in his capacity as Chairman of the Primary Health Care Task Force, for their commitment to strengthening the state’s health system.
Ekpoudom said WHO would continue to support Abia in strengthening primary healthcare and ensuring that mothers and children receive essential healthcare services.
The UNICEF representative, Mr. Ephraim Chukwu, also commended the state government for ensuring the availability of health commodities and vaccines.
He disclosed that UNICEF was supporting the deployment of technology to improve the distribution and monitoring of routine immunisation products across the state.
The meeting featured a review of second-quarter performance and progress in primary healthcare delivery, with stakeholders making recommendations and setting action points to improve performance in the third quarter.
Amah Ijeoma
FIC Correspondent office of the Deputy Governor
15/09/2026
