The Rivers State Government says it has spent close to one hundred billion naira in the health sector since the inception of the Governor Chibuike Amaechi led Administration.
Health Commissioner Dr Tamunolyoriari S. Parker stated this while speaking at an event organized at the raithwaite Memorial Hospital, Port Harcourt to appreciate ophthalmologists (eye specialists) from US-based Hospitals for Humanity, who performed successful surgery with eyesight restored to over 200 glaucoma and cataract patients in collaboration with the Rivers State Government at the weekend.
“If ever Rivers State has experienced a boom in healthcare delivery, it is now when Governor Chibuike Rotimi Arnaechi’s administration is in place, Dr Sampson Parker has said.
According to him the Governor has released almost N100 billion into the health care delivery and appreciated God for enthroning Amaechi as the Rivers State Governor.
He said the governor has judiciously expended state funds for the people’s benefits because of the love he has for the Rivers People.
After exciting testimonies from glaucoma and cataract patients, Dr Parker said: “We have to thank God because He is the One that has made all these things possible. He is the One that at the right time decided to bring back Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi from exile to govern Rivers State. He is the One that made him (Amaechi) have a kind heart for the people of Rivers State. I have been a doctor in this system for a couple of years before becoming a Commissioner, and I have senior colleagues here, I don’t think it has been this good for the health ministry as Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has done. If I am lying, please somebody should oppose me”.
“Since we came, just last night we were having a small chat and we were looking at how much has been expended into the ministry of health; almost a N100 billion has gone into free health care service for service for Rivers people”, he said.
“We have done about 150 primary healthcare centres, general hospitals and equipped them and in staff development we have employed over 200 medical doctors, with nurses, 400, and given incentives to doctors to work harder.
“We have reinstituted training and retraining of medical personnel and today our push is to make Braithwaite Memorial Hospital to be a Specialist Hospital as the name implies, to become a teaching hospital to train young doctors and other health professionals. That is how much he (Amaechi) has put into the ministry of health”.
The health commissioner assured that the Amaechi administration would continue to pursue health programmes that would provide quality free healthcare for the people, adding that Governor Amaechi had also approved a specialist manpower development programme for take-off.
He thanked the medical team from Hospitals for Humanity for their collaboration and effort in treating glaucoma and cataract eye patients.
The ophthalmologists from Hospitals for Humanity were in Rivers State on partnership with the Amaechi administration to treat glaucoma and cataract eye patients.
Earlier, the founder and team leader of Hospitals for Humanity, Dr Segun Ajayi said they were able to carry out eye surgery on over 200 patients with support from internal staff at Braithwaite Memorial Hospital.
“The last two weeks was a great opportunity for Hospitals for Humanity and we were amazed by the people, by the ophthalmologists, by the nurses, everyone, the (health) commissioner, Dr Kalada Iruenabere, everybody came together to see this mission come through and as a result 200 plus patients have had eye surgery, over 500 patients have been screened, so that is a huge accomplishment”, he said.
The head of ophthalmology department at BMH, Dr Godswill Pepple, represented by Dr. Godswill Nathaniel noted that it was a new beginning in eye care service delivery in the state.
He said: “I must confess that this is a new beginning in eye care service delivery in Rivers State. We have been in the forefront of asking the government to establish an eye centre, which the government has graciously accepted and machinery has been put in motion to actualize that but in the interim we have been also working with available resources to see how we can affect the lives of our people”.
Among other eye patients, 12-year-old Stephen Izu, Felix and Mrs. Victoria (mother of an eye patient) confirmed that their eyesight were now restored and commended Governor Amaechi for the unequalled healthcare delivery in Rivers State.###
