RSG To Build 400 Primary Health Care Centers

The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr Sampson Parker, says the government has built 105 healthcare centres across the state, with 295 more to go.

Dr Parker, who was answering questions on a News and Current Affairs Programme, Spotlight by Radio Rivers in Port Harcourt, explained that government,   intends to build a health care facility within a few minutes walk from the patient’s residence, saying that the primary healthcare centre is the First Point of call for assignment where the patient may get referral to go to a secondary or terrtiary healthcare centre.

According to him, “you can’t go to a secondary or tertiary healthcare centre without getting a referral from the primary healthcare centre” stressing that the primary healthcare centre is not “just to treat malaria”.

Asked to authenticate the stories making the rounds that the victims of penultimate Saturday’s electrocution were being charged for their treatment inspite of government claims that they were to be treated free, the commissioner stated emphatically that there was no such thing, saying that the government had not only provided drugs but has also gone ahead to provide special diets to help them in their recovery.

He also countered allegation that there were no anti-retroviral at Braithwaite Memorial Special Hospital (BMSH), “it is not true”, he said.

However, he admitted that there were some c-d 4 count equipment that were not available here at that presently, “they go to Benin to do that, there is no reason why they should go to Benin”, adding that “we are working to see how the Federal government provided some of those centres here”.

He stressed that the governor Chibuike Amaechi led administration is very particular about “health care, not medical care”.

Chief Pharmacist of BMSH, Dr Boma Jack, in a chat in her office commends government on the free medical scheme. She said there is no discrimination between paying patients and no paying patients  in the hospital.

“In fact the commissioner is very serious about this, as far as he is concerned there can be no ‘out of stock’, when it comes to free medicals. All their drugs are always supplied, irrespective of the cost”, she emphasised.

Also Chief Nursing Officer of the Buns Unit of BMSH, Mrs Charity Ele, said, the electrocution victims have all that they need to for their treatment.