Medical experts have identified effective primary health delivery as one way of checking material and Children mortality rate in the country.
Speaking at the Annual Meeting and Scientific Week of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) tagged, “Improving Primary Health Care Services in Rivers State,” they asserted that primary health care was the bedrock for better health care delivery.
A lecture at the Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Ben Wodi said disease prevention should be promoted by doctors rather than cure.
He stressed that it was important that doctors teach their patients disease preventive skills than allow them to become victims of various ailments that beset their environment
Prof Wodi, who spoke on the topic, “strategies for Improving Primary Health Care Services: Role of Private Medical Practitioners did since community health workers are primary agents or disseminating health information, they should be empowered to carry out their services effectively.
Prof Wodi argued that doctors should be able to drive information dissemination scheme at the grassroots by mentoring other medical staffers under them.
The medical expert lauded the Rivers State Government for evolving measures to salvage primary health by building now primary health centre at the grassroot.
He, however, said the only way to sustain the system was to ensure information and surveillance system to monitor the system.
In his submission, Dr. Julius Alex-Hart opined that strategies for maintaining a good primary health care system was to commence an efficient referral system at the grassroots.
He described the referral system as a system where doctors refer patients to higher health facilities for cheeks, adding it could be a vertical, horizontal process.
Despite the presence of public health care services, Dr. Alex-Hart lamented that most government-owned hospitals have poor referral system, leading to the pressure now witnessed at secondary and tertiary medical centres.
He said,” a functional referral system barely exist in the state, despite attempt by the state government in 2004 to set up a Joint Committee Referral System.”
For Dr. Sokei Harry, continuous professional development of medical doctors at the various primary healthy centres would ensure that such staff meet up daily challenges that may arise in their facility.
He also stated that government cannot run the system alone and, therefore, should enlist the support of the private sector in the way of partnership.
Dr. Harry enjoined medical doctors to also defend the rights of their patients. He noted that as professionals, doctors should create an enabling environment where their patients would be given adequate attention beyond offering medical care.