ACOMIN Decries Health Workers, Equipment Deficit in Anambra PHCs
The Civil Society Organisations in Malaria Control, immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN) have identified shortage of health workers, lack of medical equipment, power and water supply as major challenges threatening Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) in Anambra State.
The Zonal Coordinator, ACOMIN, Southeast, and Executive Director, Malaria Eradication and Safe Health Initiative of Nigeria, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, made this known at a news briefing on COVID-19 Response Mechanism/Resilient and Sustainable System for Health (C19RM/RSSH) Project.
According to him, the gaps were identified during the implementation of the projects by the organisation, calling on government’s intervention in addressing health workers’ dearth and other challenges like high cost of drugs, lack of staff quarters, deplorable condition of ambulances and lack of drivers during emergencies as other problems facing the facilities at the health centres.
Read Also: ACOMIN: More Funding Needed To Eradicate Malaria
Read Also:
Aribodor said: “As we speak today, 100 per cent of the centres lack adequate health personnel. Some have one or two volunteers. Currently, we have less than nine 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.”
“We also call on relevant stakeholders at all levels to support the CBOs implementing this project, towards improving health outcomes.”
He urged residents to access the health centres, noting that they should feel free to make complaints where necessary. The Executive Director, Anambra State AIDS Control Agency, Johnbosco Ementa, described the project as novel, saying his agency would leverage on the challenges thrown up during the assessment to assist the CSOs in planning areas of interface with the communities.
The State Programme Officer, Mr. Wisdom Jacob, said the community- based organisations had achieved much in less than two months through advocacy to decision-makers at the state, community and local government levels.
