RSG To Fund, Equip Health Centres, Dec

Governor Chibuike Amaechi, has hinted of releasing more funds to equip health centres and service the free medical scheme by December this year.

He gave the hint yesterday while speaking at the Harvest Thanksgiving Service of St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church, Diobu in Port Harcourt.

Amaechi said the funding would finally put an end to fees charged pregnant women, and at the same time help equip the various health centres built across the state.

His words, “for the health centres, I will start funding them by December this year so they can get more drugs, and you don’t have to pay any fees, especially the pregnant women”.

He used the church service to also harp on the need for parents to take their wards to nearest government schools to be registered freely, stressing that the new model schools were meant to ensure quality education.

Against this backdrop, he emphasised that government would penalise parents who fail to do so, “we are coming out with a law that if parents fail to take their children to school, we will arrest them and prosecute them according to the dictates of the law”, he said.

Governor Amaechi stated that government had concluded plans to build more schools in Diobu, and that efforts were being made to acquire more land for that purpose, while assuring that his administration was poised to impact on the lives of the citizenry in education, power and health.

He therefore challenged the citizenry to participate actively in the activities of government, “if you live and hear your children are entitled to free education and also qualify to benefit from the non-payment of schools fees from primary to secondary, twenty per cent chances have been made open for non-indigenes.”

Also speaking, Chairman of the Harvest Thanksgiving and Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree urged the congregation to see the harvest period as a moment to give and receive from God.

The harvest thanksgiving service witnessed special prayers, praises and presentations by the congregation.