Ebonyi Records Low Maternal, Pre-natal Mortality

The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abakaliki, says it has reduced the cases of Maternal and Pre-Natal Mortality in Ebonyi has through its “Integrated Outreach Programme.” Dr Paul Ezeonu, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, who stated this in an interview with newsmen, said that the centre was able to reach out to villages where the cases were prevalent.

He said: “This outreach programme has helped in reducing maternal and pre-natal mortality in the rural villages of Ebonyi State.

“The programme has also enabled the FMC to visit most parts of the state to educate the people on the importance of Primary and Secondary healthcare delivery system.

“You see, Primary and Secondary healthcare system have failed in the country thereby making it almost impossible for those in rural communities to access good healthcare services.

“So with our Integrated Outreach programme, we were able to get down to the grassroots and educate the people and help them get the best of clinical services.

“And this is a major breakthrough recorded by this center in 2010.”

The CMD said that during the outreach programme, the people received free medical services which were facilitated by the Council chairmen of the various local government areas where the programmes were held.

“I am grateful to those people who made contributions such as drugs and finances

during the programme which made it possible for us to administer free healthcare services to the people.

“It is always difficult when the condition has become worse because when they come

to the hospital, you hear “brought in dead” but we want to stop this syndrome and change it to brought in alive,” Ezeonu said.

Ezeonu said that the ultra modern hospital complex of the FMC under construction would be ready for use in the first quarter of 2011.

“Our expectations are high that our capital project which has been on since 2007 has eventually reached 95 per cent completion, and by the first quarter of next year, we would move into the place,” he said.