Churches Can Play Vital Role In Maintenance Of Public Health Facilities — CSO

The State coordinator of ACOMIN and AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria (ATM) Networks in Cross River State, Pastor Effiong Udobong, has called on churches to partner civil society organisations (CSO) operating in the state on the maintenance of primary healthcare (PHC) facilities
built by the government.

He noted that government alone cannot take care of such facilities.

Udobong made the call during a courtesy call on the chairman of Cross River State chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Tarkis Etim, in Calabar on Thursday, stressing that such partnership would reduce the burden from the shoulders of the state government.

“As an organization, we have done a lot in terms of keeping several primary healthcare facilities in the state clean, particularly in rural areas. We would be glad to have the churches collaborate with our organization in performing this great task.

“We have had instances where primary healthcare facilities that were in sorry state with grown up bushes, dirty environment and bad mattresses taken care of by our organization in about five local government areas of our operations,” Udobong stated.

The ACOMIN state coordinator, who spoke in company of officials of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), stated that with the partnership, a lot can be achieved particularly in the maintenance of healthcare facilities sited in the rural areas where government’s presence is hardly seen.

He stressed that with sensitisation, much can be done by the organisation and the church to keep the health facilities operational, especially facilities sited by the state government in very hard-to-reach areas, adding that the collaboration of the CSO and the church would help to keep making the facilities habitable.

“Based on experience, if properly sensitised, churches can still give their support in the maintenance of primary healthcare facilities.

“History has it that St. Luke was a health experts, clerics can also help in moving the sector forward. Members of churches used to clean their churches without the application of force by the pastors.

“This is why we are saying that churches can also contribute their quota towards making the health facilities look clean.

“Church should partner the healthcare sector to ensure that the healthcare sector succeeds,” the ACOMIN state coordinator maintained.

Responding, Cross River State CAN chairman and former Commissioner for Finance during the Governor Liyel Imoke-led administration, Rev. Tarkis Etim, assured the civil society organisation of the willingness of the church to collaborate with them in ensuring that primary healthcare facilities sited in the rural areas are kept clean.

“We are going to make our members understand that the facilities are theirs and not for the state government alone. From our secretariat, we will intimate our members at the local government branches to understand that if we collaborate with the civil society organisations and indeed the local government council authorities, the facilities would be in good shape for our people,” Rev. Etim stated.