Abia State Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu has assured that the Primary Health Care under One Roof (PHCUOR) programme would be fully implemented to address some of the health challenges of the citizenry.
Sir Oko Chukwu who stated this while declaring open a high level stakeholders sensitization workshop on the implementation of PHCUOR programme held in umuahia said that it was in recognision of the importance of healthcare delivery in the life of the people that made Dr Ikpeazu led government to accord healthcare a top priority.
He noted that the state primary healthcare act was enacted into law under his tenure as speaker of the state House of Assembly and described the conference as apt offering stakeholders opportunity to interface and ensure an effective and realizable primary healthcare under one roof.
The deputy governor restated government commitment towards meeting it’s counterpart obligations as required by donor agencies and development partners in order to sustain their services in the state.
He emphasisd the benefits and partnership from the programme and expressed it optimism that Participants at the workshop will come up with ideas on the way forward for a better healthcare service delivery in the state.
Earlier in his address, The State Commissioner For Health, Dr John Ahukanna said that PHCUOR is a policy for integration of all PHC services under one authority to reduce fragmentation in PHC management and services delivery noted that PHC services involved preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitation services provided at the head post health care centers and basic / health care facilities.
Dr Ahukanna said that due to challenges and multiple management structures resulting to poor provision of services to a vast majority of the populace affected efficiency and utilization of PHC services.
He further said that Abia has achieved 90 percentage of basic requirement in the implementation of PHCUOR and commended the state governor for his unprecedented interest in improving the healthcare and called on the stakeholders to support the movement to universal healthcare coverage.
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary Abia State Health Care Development Agency, Dr Chinagozi Adindu disclosed that PHCUOR will bring more fund to the state primary healthcare system and that Abia have been choosing as one pilots state to benefit from the federal government ‘#1.5 billion basis health care provision fund due to its performance.
He said that states that implemented the PHCUOR programme would get 1% fund from the consolidated revenue for health as passed under the 2018 budget, attract more fund from development partners and reduce the pressure of PHC on the state and local governments.
