The Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has reiterated his readiness to support international donor agencies that would initiate programmes which could bring about the desired benefits especially in the areas of primary health care delivery, water, sanitation and education to the citizenry.

Receiving the Chairman, Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, Mr. Jaglish Chanrai, who visited him in Calabar, Imoke said Tulsi had been a strong ally in driving the policy thrust of his administration of taking government’s presence to the needy at the grassroot.

He said that any organization that identities with any of such      programmes would receive the needed support to succeed and commended the foundation for its zeal and determination in touching the lives of Cross Riverians through the free eye surgery exercise which was initiated in 2005 at the General Hospital Calabar. Imoke also said that the recent signing of Memorandum of Understanding  (MoU) between the state government and the foundation was another step to further concretize the collaboration which, he hoped, would yield the desired result that would translate into good living of its citizenry.

Imoke stated that the primary health care delivery which his administration has initiated cannot be successful if competent hands were not mobilized to render assistance in a way of professional advice to the effort, pointing out that Tulsi is one organization that had adopted international best practices in its programme and that its collaboration with the state is a worthwhile venture.

The governor promised to support the foundation in decentralizing its programmes to other parts of the state with the provision of the needed infrastructure as well as logistics where necessary while urging them to ensure that the primary health care programme that the foundation is handling in the State becomes a model in the country

Earlier, the Chairman, Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, Mr. Jaglish Chanrai, who disclosed that the body has been in the country for over 120 years, said they decided to pay back as  good corporate citizens through the free eye surgery programme. He said that  the intension was to ensure that all affected persons regained their sight, adding  that since the project was launched in Cross River in 2005, over 15,000 persons have benefited from the gesture out of which 93 percent have regained their sights fully.

He said that in addition to the exercise, the foundation has also embarked on rehabilitation of 315 boreholes across the state to boost water supply besides training local artisans who would carry out further maintenance in any of the water installations. He called on the state government to ensure  the supply of  necessary spare parts and mobility to facilitate movement of officials to the facilities and  appealed for a donation of a bus to enable  its entomologists extend their services to the villages.