Abia State commissioner for Health, Ogbonnaya Uche has asserted that the state once ranked last out of the 36 in the country in primary healthcare delivery.
Uche stated this at the launch of second batch of functionalised Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in the state in Ikputu, Isialangwa North local government area.
He explained that the event brought to 52 out of the completed 102 in the government’s ongoing renovation and equipping of 200 PHCs tagged “Operation Ekwueme.”
“Hospitals are not just buildings—they must have equipment and manpower to serve the people,” he said, lauding the state governor, Alex Otti for initiating the operation.
“What we now have in our primary health centers rivals what you find in general hospitals in many other states of the country,” the commissioner added.
Uche, who argued that the state now ranks among those on the top, charged the host communities to fully utilise and protect the PHCs from every form of harm.
In a remark, the mayor of the area, Innocent Uruakpa said the people appreciated Otti for the completion of the project, describing him as a promise keeper and health-friendly.
In their comments, the area’s Health Authority secretary, Charity Agwu, and the supervisory councillor for Health, Nkechi Chibueze described the project as a game changer.
They noted that the centre, which they said was operating from a dilapidated structure, had became a beacon of hope and progress for the community, and the workers.
