Being the Text of a Speech Presented by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at the flag-off of the Reconstruction and Remodelling of 200 Primary Healthcare Facilities across the 184 Wards in Abia State on Monday, January 20, 2025, at the Primary Health Centre, Ngwu, Uzuakaoli, Bende LGA
Protocols
- An effective healthcare delivery system in all parts of the State is central to our governance agenda which is focused on improving the social and economic realities of our people. We appreciate that our pursuit of social prosperity will come to nothing if access to quality health services is not guaranteed for every demographic group scattered across over 500 urban and rural communities in the State. This awareness explains the decision of the present Administration to prioritise the revitalisation of the healthcare delivery architecture in all parts of the State.
- Over the last 20 months, we have undertaken multiple strategic initiatives to achieve our target for the health sector. Our free healthcare services at selected facilities ran for 7 months in 2023 and reached about 10,000 individuals who received various forms of medical services including surgeries, laboratory and diagnostics support and professional counsel from a specially selected team of medical personnel who helped us to bridge the service delivery gaps in the sector following years of neglect, industrial disputes and other institutional constraints. We have also taken steps to restore operational activities in several public health facilities that were hitherto comatose. The Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostics Centre Umuahia has been transformed into a regional centre of excellence in several service areas including eye care and various categories of surgical services. The Abia State University Teaching Hospital in Aba is also witnessing a genuine turnaround as the Government steps up measures to support and expand the scope of service delivery at the facility which not only supports the healthcare needs of the general populace but also serves as a training centre for medical students at the State University and beyond.
- I am glad to report that on account of the measures we have taken to rebuild trust and improve staff welfare, public confidence in the health sector is returning. We shall continue to make all the necessary investments in human capital and equipment to ultimately achieve our governance agenda for the sector.
- In pursuit of our broad objectives for the healthcare delivery system, we have gathered this afternoon to flag-off a project that will see the State Government renovate and provide operational infrastructure to 200 primary healthcare facilities across the 184 wards in the State over the next 100 days. This initiative is set up to improve access to quality healthcare, especially in the rural communities, reduce exposure to quacks and fake drugs and effectively improve good health and longevity for the general populace. This initiative has been tagged “Project Ekwueme” by our team at the State Ministry of Health because it practically speaks to our commitment to fulfilling the key promises we made to change the healthcare delivery landscape in the State for the better.
- The primary healthcare facilities we intend to set up in all parts of the State shall have its independent power supply from renewable energy sources, efficient water supply system, and other support infrastructure to improve the operational environment, preserve drug supplies and medical consumables, and ultimately save cost for the Government and its partners. We are committed to the use of high quality and durable materials for every step of the construction process because this is our own. We shall not tolerate any form of mediocrity as every contractor would be required to provide post-delivery infrastructure maintenance services at the facilities for at least five years.
- Community leaders and other stakeholder groups are encouraged to be part of the project monitoring and evaluation efforts. All acts of sabotage or attempt to steal from the facilities before, during, and after construction activities shall attract very severe consequences by the Government with the cooperation of our people. The security agencies have also been mandated to keep their eyes on what goes on across the 200 project sites and use every legitimate tool available to them to frustrate any effort to scuttle our programme.
- We have carefully incorporated local contractors to drive this initiative in various communities and as such, we know who to hold accountable when project specifications are not met or when wilful sabotage is suspected. This project is set up to benefit present and future generations of Ndi Abia by improving our maternal care and child birth management records, prevention and control of outbreak of diseases, and offer first level care to anyone who needs medical assistance on a round-the-clock basis.
- Let me specially thank the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, and every other team member working in the health sector for their commitment to the transformation of the public healthcare delivery ecosystem. The State is blessed to have an excellent team of professionals working with us to improve the entire spectrum of the public health ecosystem. We shall continue to give them all the necessary support to actualise our shared vision and effectively create a legacy of service excellence that shall become a model for the rest of the region.
- May I also appreciate our local and international partners for their commitment to affordable and effective healthcare for the average individual across the State. Several religious, social and philanthropic organisations, multilateral donors and development partners have been consistent in their support through the donation of materials, funding and technical assistance. We shall continue to work closely with these groups because quality health for all is a shared global vision that requires effective collaboration across multiple frontiers. The State remains open to welcoming new partners as we seek to combat the multiple health threats facing our various demographics.
- In addition to remodelling 200 different healthcare facilities in different communities, we shall also accelerate multiple capacity development programmes for the body of healthcare professionals to bring them up to speed with evolving trends and new ideas in their operational areas. It is common knowledge that the healthcare industry has been hit by an acute personnel shortage in the last few years owing to the ‘Japa’ syndrome but we shall not complain because that is the nature of labour in today’s global economy. What we shall do instead is to commit greater resources to the training of new professionals as we have rightly done in the 2025 Appropriation Act where the princely sum of N8.6 billion has been earmarked for the construction of the permanent site of the Abia State College of Health Science and Management Technology Aba. We have also made a N5 billion provision for construction projects at the new College of Nursing Sciences at the Umunneato General Hospital while another N3 billion will go into the construction of classroom blocks at the School of Nursing and Midwifery Amachara.
- Clearly, our strategic roadmap for the health sector is on course and by the end of the 3rd quarter of the year, extensive improvements must have been recorded as new infrastructure projects, including these primary healthcare facilities, are completed and delivered for use by the general public. Let me as always invite you to continue to cooperate with us as patriotic citizens as we prioritize the well being of our people. Pay your taxes as and when due, protect public infrastructure in your communities and do not hesitate to report to the security agencies, any person or group whose activities could pose a threat to the peace and security of the State. The Government remains committed in its resolve to serve and work for the collective good of all residents of the State and expects the full cooperation and prayers of every well-meaning Abian.
- Thank you for listening and may God bless Abia State.
Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR,
20/01/2025
