As part of efforts to uplift the health system, the Delta State Government has secured the enrolment of additional 156 Pubic Healthcare Centres (PHCs) into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
The Program Manager for PHCs in the Delta State Healthcare Development Agency, Mr. Divine Azubuike disclosed this in Asaba during the quarterly coordination meeting of Civil Society Organization on Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN).
Azubuike further revealed that with this development, the total number of PHCs that have been enrolled in the state would now be 402.
He explained that PHCs in the state had been upgraded from 1.0 level to 2.0 level, adding that the implication was that more funds would be available for allocation to PHCs in the state.
The State chairman of ACOMIN, Pastor Gregory Sifo in his welcome address, stressed the need for every member of ACOMIN team, particularly the CBOs to redouble their commitment to ensure that Delta State reclaims its leading position in the implementation of ACOMIN project.
Sifo, who lauded the CBOs for the successes recorded so far, said that it was a welcome development to observe that the state that fell below during the national appraisal earlier in the year, is already picking up.
He reminded the CBOs that the role of ACOMIN was to hold healthcare workers accountable for better service delivery.
On his part, the State Programme Officer of ACOMIN, Sir Austin Uwede noted that the State Advocacy Team (SAT) of ACOMIN had carried out advocacy visits to relevant stakeholders concerning the issues that were identified to be confronting the healthcare facilities within the quarter under review.
Uwede said that within the quarter, important advocacies were made to Ministry of Health on the issues inadequate functional fridges for the storage of immunization vaccines, recalling that ACOMIN also interfaced with the logistics management Coordinating Unit (LMCU) in Ministry of Health to intimate them about their observation of shortage of routine drugs at PHCs.
The SPO also stated that the Private Sector Health Alliance Foundation (PISHAF) in collaboration with the Jim Ovia Foundation (JOF) had decided to run one PHC in each of the 25 local government areas for a period of five years before handing it back to the government.
In their separate goodwill messages, the state partners including the Malaria Programme Manager in the State Ministry of Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Julie Aniah, the representative of the Society for Family Health (SFH) Mrs. Mercy Momoh and the Chief Imam of Asaba Central Mosque, Dr. Adekola Yinusa and Mrs. Grace Sifo of SACA, appreciated ACOMIN for their intervention just as they implored the CBOs to strive for greater service delivery.
Aniah and Momoh called for continued partnership with ACOMIN in the fight against malaria in the state, just as Adekola sued for more presence of the Ministry of Health and ACOMIN in the Muslim community.
Mrs. Sifo appreciated the role ACOMIN played during the Worlds HIV/AIDs Day, she calls for more collaboration with ACOMIN.
Highlights of the meeting was the presentation of success stories for the quarter by implementing CBOs.
