Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State said that the present changes
being experienced in the Imo Health sector is revolutionary.
He made this assertion while addressing members of the Nigerian
Medical association (NMA) who paid him a courtesy call at the
Government House, Owerri.
According to the governor, the health facilities he met on ground at
the inception of his administration were in a sorry state, stating
that the hospitals could better be described as shanties and
piggeries.
“The Abysmal performance of our hospitals resulted to poor patronage
by Imolites as most of these hospitals could no more justify the huge
amount the government used to subvent them,” the governor explained.
Gov. Okorocha disclosed that his administration was doing everything
within its power to change the situation, stressing that the
government was presently building 27 General Hospitals in all the 27
local government areas of Imo state, which when completed would be
fully equipped with modern medical equipment to avail the people
quality health care services.
He said that government has adopted a public private partnership by
concession of some hospitals with most of them already doing well and
therefore appealed to NMA to partner with him in the new health
programme known as health-at-your-door-step.
Earlier, the National President of the Association, Dr. Osaghe
Onabuleli, informed the governor that they were in the state to offer
free medical treatment to Imolites which he said commenced at Mbaise
and will move to Orlu the next day. He said that the association was
ready to partner with the governor in his drive to revolutionalize
health care in the state.
Dr. Onabuleli appealed to the government to look into the case of 8
Doctors sacked as a result of the conflict between Imo state Hospitals
Management and staff, with the aim to reabsorbing them and requested
for the increase of subvention to hospitals and employ more hands to
improve the manpower need of the hospitals.
The President on behalf of the association thanked the governor for
donating a vehicle to the association and for appointing four of their
members into his cabinet, and the payment of the consolidated salary
structure.
He used the opportunity to invite the governor to their National
Executive Council meeting coming up on Saturday in Owerri.
