Imo Govt Makes U-Turn. suspends plans to concession hospital

Gov. Rochas Okorocha.

The Imo Government on Tuesday said that it had suspended the plans to concession its public hospitals.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Jonny Ihebereme, said this at the Annual Health Week seminar organised by the Medical and Health Workers Union (MHWU) in Owerri.

Ihebereme said that Gov. Rochas Okorocha suspended the plans following a technical advice on the proposed concession.

The permanent Secretary, also said that the state government ordered the refund of the money committed to the projects by the concessionaires.

He said government was poised to reform primary health care delivery and would ensure that all primary health care in the state were funded.

The permanent secretary said a health policy tagged, “Health at Your Door Step’’ had been introduced by the state government.

He said that the policy was another way to make health care delivery accessible to everybody in the state.

Ihebereme said that the state government would construct 27 general hospitals in each local government area, stressing that this would guarantee accessible health care to the rural dwellers.

He said government had revived all the state-owned hospitals in Imo with state of the art equipment to deliver quality health care.

He urged the union leaders to sanction any perceived or suspecting non-performing health workers across the local government areas of the state.

The Chairman of MHWU, Dr Frances Nzenwata, asked government to employ professionals into the health sector.

Nzenwata said that it would be impossible to achieve quality health care delivery without professionals in the system.

She said the Health at Your Door Step policy of the government was laudable because it would guarantee accessible health care to rural dwellers.

The chairman called for a comprehensive overhaul of the sector, and urged government to do everything possible to ensure re-accreditation of its health institutions.

“No state can achieve universal health coverage with all the health institutions wobbling. Therefore, government must take urgent step to redirect its steps in achieving good health care delivery,” he said.

He thanked the governor for approving a Consolidated Salary Structure for its health workers, adding that since then their productivity had increased. Culled from thenation