RSG Reads Riot Act To Health Personnel

The Rivers State Government has given a strong warning to health personnel running the state free medical health programme to desist from corrupt activities or face serious penalties.

State commissioner for health, Dr Sampson Parker gave the warning at a  review meeting of the state free medical programme in Port Harcourt on Friday.

Dr Parker said the government was fully aware of the shoddy deals and corrupt activities of personnel, warning that anybody caught in such activities would be punished.

He charged Chief Medical Director and top officials managing the scheme to ensure that the patients targeted receive free medicare, as part of measures towards alleviating the suffering of the people.

Dr Parker added that as medical personnel, their responsibility first is to save lives, hence the need for them to live up to expectations.

Calling on the staffers to be more dedicated to their duties, the Rivers State health boss observed that the free medical programme is one scheme that is unique to the state and therefore stressed the need for staffers to ensure it achieved its main objective.

In her remarks, Chief Operation’s Manager of the scheme, Dr Nnesoji Offor called on doctors in the various medical centres to ensure they are at their duty posts always, in order to curb the shortcomings observed so far.

She blamed truancy and lack of dedication to duty as a major bane to attaining the goals and objectives of the FMS established by former Governor, Dr Peter Odili.

It would be recalled that the scheme is targeted at elderly people of 60 years and above who are indigenes, including pregnant teenage mothers, all pregnant women under caesarian session and children not above six years.