Enugu Moves To Reform Health Sector

The Enugu State Governor, Barrister Sullivan Chime has flagged off the state medical Emergency Response designed to revolutionise the health sector and ensure that health services get to the doorsteps of the citizens.

Represented by his Deputy,  Mr Sunday Onyebuchi, Governor Chime said that the scheme which is the first of its kind in the country was intended

to complement the rapid and substantial transformation going on in other sectors of the state economy, adding that no sector would be allowed to lag behind.

He said that the state government had donated eight brand new ambulances to the scheme while each of the 17 local government council areas of the state  donated one ambulance each, bringing the total number of ambulances so far involved in the scheme to 25.

The Governor also commended the state Ministry of Health and other stakeholders in the sector for making the scheme a reality and pledged the commitment of the state government to ensure that it was sustained and efficiently run.

In her address, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Fidelia Akpa, disclosed that the scheme was an articulated, coordinated and

specialised health package to attend to the people who may suddenly fall ill either at home, in vehicles or elsewhere within Enugu State.

She noted that the flag off of the scheme marked the commencement of the service for Enugu metropolis, adding that it would soon be extended to all the 17 local government areas in the state. Dr Akpa said that the Ministry was working in collaboration with scheme-friendly hospitals in the state to ensure that rescued patients were promptly attended to.

She added that the Ministry would also collaborate with the police to provide security to rescue teams, since they would regularly be exposed to all forms of danger in the course of their work. The Director of the scheme, in his own speech Dr Austin Ikwueze, noted that the scheme posed a challenge because of its uniqueness, pointing out that it was set up from the scratch without any precedent to copy from.

According to him, the team was motivated and inspired by the prompt response of the state government to its proposal to set up the scheme and ensure its hitch free take off.

The Director said the scheme would run 24 hours daily, adding that the crew was ready and poised to deliver the pre-hospital package of care to the people.