FG solicits Abia’s support on health sector transformation
THE Federal Government of Nigeria has solicited for partnership with Abia State to accelerate health sector transformation initiatives, outlined in the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Salma Ibrahim, special adviser to the President on health, made the call, when she led a team on a courtesy call on Governor Alex Otti at the Government House, Umuahia.
Ibrahim, while calling for the reduction of maternal and child mortality, said that the Federal Government, will support the State under the Presidential Acceleration Plan for Reduction of Maternal Deaths, as well as other areas, including capacity building, resources and advocacy.
She commended Otti for his proactive measures, including declaring state of emergency in the health sector and increasing health allocation, by15 percent, as well as the swift resolution of the salary disputes, adding that such actions had significantly alleviated challenges within the state’s healthcare system.
Otti, in his speech, said that his administration had aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector, to achieve improved access to quality healthcare delivery in the state.
The Abia Chief Executive highlighted the shared objectives between Abia and the Federal Government, especially in the area of health and emphasised a mutual drive towards a common purpose despite political differences.
“Giving all the things you reeled out about the Presidents renewed hope agenda with specific reference to health, I didn’t think I will be exaggerating, if i say that even if we’re not in the same party, we are in the same pedestal. We are driving towards the same purpose.
“We already keyed in on this renewed hope agenda of the Federal government. Because listening to you, all the areas that the Federal government is interested in, are also the areas we are interested in.
“When we came into government, we were deliberate about the things we were going to do.”
Otti, who recounted the deliberate steps taken by his administration upon assumption of office, said that his government had addressed critical healthcare challenges in Abia State, which include; a robust budget for the healthcare delivery system, restoration of accreditation for the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, which had been in a state of disrepair, during the past administration in the State, as well as clearing salary arrears of health workers.
He further outlined ongoing initiatives by the his government to include the retrofitting of General Hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres across the State, establishment of a medical village, which would serve as a comprehensive healthcare hub to reverse medical tourism and provide top-notch medical services within Abia State.
Otti underscored the significance of addressing maternal and child mortality rates, noting that his government was committed to improving healthcare needs of Abia people.
“We are not where we want to be, but we definitely have moved from where we met the state. Where we are now is retrofitting the primary health care centres and from our last count, they were about 948 of them.
“Luckily we had a prize that we won from the Governor’s forum, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; “The leadership Challenge”, and we have deployed the money from there, first of all to the primary health care centres and of course we do have a robust budget for the healthcare delivery system in Abia state.