Results of Proactive Measures In Rivers Health Sector

Infrastructural Development

As a result of the decay the administration met on ground, there has been and is still a lot of infrastructural development going on. These have been classified under Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Health Care.

Primary Health Care

The State Government has embarked on the construction of 160 New Primary Health Centres as the first step towards replacing the existing dilapidated ones and rebuilding the entire health system, the Major Contractor is Brunel Engineering Construction Company undertaking the construction of 105 of these Model Primary Health Centres. At present, the contractor is focused on delivery only 50 in the first phase. The other 55 is to be commenced in the second phase, So far, 65 of the New Primary Health Care Centres are completed, fully equipped and furnished. Seventeen (17) are above 90% completion, 24 are below 89% completion while 2 have not commenced.

Secondary Health Care

One of the major reasons for the failure of the Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti’s Primary Healthcare model was the non-availability of proper referral system and centres, in order that this administration does not have the same pitfalls, simultaneous arrangements have commenced to ensure massive renovations and/or complete rebuilding and re-equipping of the General Hospitals, Niger Hospital (now Prof. Kelsey Harrison’s Hospital), the Dental Hospital and the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) Medical Centre have been completely rebuilt.

Tertiary Health Care

The Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) is undergoing massive renovations, rebuilding and reequipping  the Radiology Department and the Clinical Laboratories have undergone massive retooling, with the Clinotech Group of Canada acting as technical partners, an ultra modern Modular Theatre Complex consisting of three operating suites, a laundry unit, sterilising unit and an oxygen manufacturing plant, with an adjoining intensive care unit has also been set up. This is equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, we are preparing the BMSH to be the nucleus of our Teaching Hospital from which our Medical School will emerge, completion, furnishing and equipping of the Ancillary building, the Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte Hospital, is an ultra-specialist Hospital that would take care of most of the cases we now send abroad for treatment. Work has commenced on the project, a mother and child hospital, a Burns Centre and a Trauma Centre are other major health projects on the drawing board.