Declare Emergency On Health Sector, NMA Tells RSG

Workers of CCECC Construction Company on duty at a road project site in Diobu, Port Harcourt

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has challenged the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyasom Wike, to declare a state of emergency on the health sector in the state, and begin the Medical College at Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) in order to provide room for the creation of a state-owned teaching hospital.
The state NMA Chairman, Dr Furo Green, while addressing newsmen on the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the association, said the state of emergency is needed to revamp the secondary and tertiary healthcare delivery in Rivers State.
He called for the government to grant autonomy to the state-owned Braithwaite Memorial Special Hospital, Port Harcourt, to enable it serve as a research centre for medical personnel and not become a glorified general hospital.
“The last administration focused mainly on primary healthcare, and this has grossly affected the secondary and tertiary healthcare delivery in the state”, he said.
The doctors are also demanding that the state government should be proactive in addressing the challenges undermining the health sector as a veritable means of boosting the health of the people.
Green expressed optimism that healthcare delivery will receive a boost under the Wike-led administration following some friendly policies being implemented, including the decision to renovate some general hospitals as well as the move to decongest road traffic in the state.
He explained that all these are pointers that the government is health-friendly.
Our correspondent reports that the state NMA Annual General Meeting, which began yesterday in Port Harcourt, is running with the theme: “The Impact of Waste Management and Sanitation Practice on the Health of Citizens”.