RVHA Hands Over Primary Health Centres To Board

Following the enactment

of Primary Health Care Management Board Law 2012, and the subsequent inauguration, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachreee has formally handed over the management of the Primary Health Centres to the Board.

Speaking at the brief handing over ceremony in his office, Thursday, Hon. Amachree, said the law provides that the Primary Healthcare workers be moved from the local government to the Board.

The Speaker who was represented by his Deputy Hon. Leyii Kwanee, explained that the delay in the exercise was to allow the resolution of issues raised by the Health workers against the local government councils.

He disclosed that both parties shifted grounds when the Assembly intervened in the disagreement which occasioned the strike by the workers, noting that by the handover all the Primary Health Centres built by the state government have been delivered to the Board to manage.

The lawmaker commended the Health workers for their understanding, assuring that the remaining issues would be addressed adequately and urged the Board to take their job seriously.

Responding, Chairman of the Primary Health Care Management Board, Dr. Uriah Etawo, said Primary Health Care constitutes the basis of healthcare delivery because up to 70% of health cases could be handled at the health centres.

He posited that the centres are closer to the people and becomes the foundation for preventive health system, stressing that secondary and tertiary health care levels handle about 20% and 10% representatively.

Dr. Etawo hinted that the recent strike by health workers and the intervention of the House of Assembly led to the quick resolution of the issues and has resulted in the hand-over ceremony.

The Board chairman said “before now, the local government takes care of the Health Centres and the workers, but now, the board has formally taken over the management of the Health centres as well as the workers”.

He thanked the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for the vision to bring health care delivery closer to the people, promising that the Board would do its best to achieve the purpose.