Nation
Traditional, Religious Leaders Want PHCs Establishment, Equipping
Traditional and religious leaders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have appealed to government at all levels and philanthropists to establish and equip Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in their domains.
The leaders made the call midweek at a stakeholders workshop on funding mechanism organised by the FCT Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN) in Abuja.
They noted that their appeal, if addressed, would cater for the treatment of AID, TB and Malaria (ATM), among other diseases in the country.
The Secretary, Gbazango Traditional Community, Kubwa, FCT, Mr Abubakar Bako, said such meetings would enlighten participants on ways to resolve challenges affecting them.
He said it would also ensure an improved access to social amenities for community members.
“We have had so many challenges with no healthcare centres in our community, but have to go to the general hospital, which is far from us.
“And we have also lost so many people due to inability to access healthcare services for timely treatment.
“But through such advocacy programmes and sensitisation, we learnt that we can also have our PHCsin our communities”, he said.
The traditional leader stressed the need for community members to ensure participation and monitoring of projects to ensure sustainability.
“My advise to other communitities is to key into such programmes to enable them know and learn more from other communitities that already have existing hospitals and PHCs.
“This will enable them know better and also have theirs. We are therefore appealing to government to provide basic social amenities that would improve our livelihood”, he added.
Also speaking, the ACOMIN FCT Focal person, Mr Julius Ibecheole, said the workshop would access the level of engagement, which was part of the processes needed in the submission of the application for the grant cycle seven for Nigeria as it pertains to the CSOs component.
Ibecheole said that the process of soliciting and receiving global grants before now had not been this participatory and involving wide consultations.
He explained that a change in approach by the global fund demands that community stakeholders being their duties, CBOs should make meaningful inputs towards it.
“We will submit so that the global fund itself will see that this process was actually all encompassing in the participation of every key stakeholder.
“And by way of making their own inputs known contribute to the final document that will be sent out.
“Some of those findings, like the need for proper case management, malaria intervention, need for scaling up prevention and environmental management components to be really focused.
“So, going forward in the next round, we want to see more community ownership, while we also do not want to see the government renege in its core obligations”, he said.
Ibecheole also called on government at all levels to ensure that PHCs nationwide were fully equipped to improve healthcare services in the country.
“We know that the National Primary Health Care Agency has very beautiful plans to ensure that the 774 LGAs have PHCs that are well structured, equipped in terms of tools, machines and also manpower.
“We want to see that happen in the coming years and on our part as CSOs, we shall follow up on advocacy,” he said.
Other participants at the workshop were religious and traditional leaders, CSOs and the media.
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Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
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