The Rivers State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN says the skeletal services on Out-Patient basis in all the government owned hospitals in the state is as a result of non funding from the government.
The ACN in a statement issued and signed by its publicity secretary, Jerry Needam said it is shocked that facilities in these rural hospitals, as well as the Braitwait Memorial Hospital (BMH) have either collapsed or are not available.
The ACN spokesman, Jerry Needam regretted that the free medical care programme bills submitted by the hospitals to the government since January, 2012 are yet to be paid, leaving the hospitals with no fund to buy drugs, and other consumable medical items for operation and rendering other sundry services.
He blamed Gov. Chibuike Amaechi for playing politics with the soul of the state economy which is the health of the people.
The situation, Jerry Needam pointed out has worsened with the closure of Teme Clinic and the departing of Doctors without Borders as all the referral cases from the primary health centres and rural hospitals across the state now weigh down on the few inadequate infrastructure and facilities at the hospitals.
“Due to the scarcity caused by non funding of the free medical care programme, the incidence of “Out Of Stock (OS) that was the usual feature of government hospitals in the past has resurfaced,” the ACN spokesman remarked.
Worse hit, he added, is the BMH where bed spaces for patients are no longer enough for patients due to influx of sick people that hitherto would have been admitted at Teme Clinic and attended to, by outgoing Doctors Without Borders.
The ACN charged Amaechi to choose between the free medical care scheme and run it with commitment or allow the hospitals charge fees to sustain self, stressing that the revolving fund system being adopted by State Hospital Management in running the hospitals is creating more problems for the people.
The party also wants Amaechi to pay the hospitals the outstanding unpaid bills for the year 2012 if the hospitals are to serve the purpose for which they were established.
