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Obio Cottage Hospital, Model For Nigeria – WHO
The World Bank has ranked Obio Cottage Hospital in Rivers State as a model clinic not just in Nigeria but in the world.
The ranking was based on assessment of the clinic by the International Finance Corporation, IFC/World Bank on facilities, staff and general performance variables as are practically obtainable in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.
Dr Olumide Okuola of IFC/World Bank disclosed this Tuesday at a stakeholders Engagement and Evaluation Workshop marking the fifth year anniversary of the clinic at Novotel Hotel in Port Harcourt.
The Tide reports that Obio Cottage Hospital is run under Obio Community Health Insurance Scheme, an initiative of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria in the Industrial Area(IA) cluster, in partnership with four Obio communities and Rivers State Government.
Some positive impacts made by the clinic include low maternal death rate compared with European countries, live delivery of an average of 283 per month compared to 10 per month before the cottage hospital introduced health insurance scheme, 92% enrollees satisfied with services, financial sustainability, prevention of 156 babies from HIV/AIDS through Live with Hope Support Group and full immunization of 21,365 in 2014, amongst others.
Okunola said the customer satisfaction and impressive performance level recorded in the clinic marks it out as the way to go and much sought model for Nigeria and the world, and linked the success of the hospital to sustainable private, Public Partnership performance based on mechanism.
He urged that the initiative should be replicated as a brake away from the common practice of viewing health as mainly government business or public service with abysmally low performance record common in Nigeria and Africa.
The Regional Community Health Manager, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), Dr Babatunde Fakunle, said the initiative was the first of its kind in the Niger Delta which aimed at developing a sustainable funding model that could eliminate out-of-pocket expenses, expressing worry that about 70% of the healthcare expenditure were out of pocket by those who could ill-afford them in Nigeria.
Other targets, according to Fakunle, were to move from fee-for-service healthcare to a community risk sharing model, exclude poverty as barrier to receiving healthcare, equitable access to quality- assured healthcare systems and infrastructures, amongst others.
He said, with SPDC serving as project catalyst, and using the GMoU platform as launch pad, the IA Cluster Community Development Board (CDB0, comprising four communities engaged the services of a specialised Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO), Healthcare International, to run the programme. The recently upgraded SPDC-supported Obio Cottage Hospital serves as health service provider.
Chris Oluoh
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.