Ebonyi Spends N1.9bn On Rural Health

The Ebonyi State Government says it has spent N1.9 billion on its rural healthcare programme since inception in 2010.

The state  Health Commissioner,  Dr Sunday Nwangele, disclosed this last  Saturday in Abakaliki.

He said that the money was disbursed to the six accredited rural hospitals, including Mater Miseriocordi Hospital Afikpo, Presbyterian Joint Hospital, Uburu and Rural Improvement Mission Hospital, Ikwo.

Others are St. Vincent Hospital, Ndubia, Mile 4 Hospital, Abakaliki and Sudan United Mission Hospital, Onuenyim Izzi.

Nwangele said that the rural healthcare programme was aimed at providing quality and affordable healthcare to the rural populace in the state.

He said that because of the rural healthcare programme, the government introduced giving of grants in tranches to rural hospitals to implement the programme.

“The grant drives rural health programmes by providing standard infrastructure development to these hospitals, enables them to recruit skilled healthcare providers, including consultants, nurses. It also enables them to procure standard medical and diagnostic equipment. ‘It helps to implement one of the highest government policies, which is the free maternal and child healthcare programmes and also general disease control,” he said.

According to him, the programme had reduced drastically the previous negative health indices in the state, reduced maternal morbidity and mortalities and improved child healthcare.

He added that the programme had helped the government to provide quality healthcare to the people, reduced referrals and helped to prevent avoidable deaths in the rural communities.

Nwangele noted that the programme had helped to sustain continuous medical and health services in the state.