Imo Deputy Governor Urges Citizens To Support Primary Healthcare

The Imo State deputy governor, Lady Chinyere Ihuoma Ekomaru, has urged the citizenry to prioritise the primary healthcare delivery system. This is even as she emphasised that primary health is crucial for individual, state, and national well-being.
The deputy governor also urged Imo citizens to take their health seriously, as she advised expectant and nursing mothers to always patronise hospitals for their routine medications and immunisations.
She hailed Governor Hope Uzodimma’s health sector efforts, including establishing the Imo State Health Insurance Agency, free health insurance, energising the Imo State Primary Health Agency and rehabilitating health centers across the state.
The deputy governor made this statement when the leadership of Imo State Primary Health Agency visited her office.
She noted that the governor has prioritised the health of Imolites and will do everything possible to support and sustain the efforts in the health sector.

She also encouraged families to eschew unnecessary rumours and misconceptions peddled by unscrupulous individuals about immunisation and rather, heed to government’s opinions and directives.

The deputy governor encouraged parents to present their children to health centers for immunisations as at when due and also, cooperate with the house-to-house immunisation teams from government, stressing that children who are not immunised duly, risk contracting communicable diseases which can lead to dead.

The deputy governor however, commended the efficiency of the Imo Primary Health Agency, urging them to sustain their efforts.

The executive secretary, Imo State Primary Health Agency, Dr. Kosisochukwu Ekeh-Njoku, who led the team from Imo Primary Health Agency said they came to notify the deputy governor that she is to chair the taskforce for primary health and immunisation.

She added that the assistance of the taskforce to their duties will help boost their coverage and output, increasing their acceptability in rural communities.

She said that under the new responsibility, that it behoves the deputy governor to convey a quarterly meeting of different stakeholders, including political, religious and community leaders, who will form members of the taskforce.

According to her, the move will enable the agency achieve acceptable level of compliance.

Speaking, the state immunisation officer, Dr. Okoroama Chibuzor, informed the deputy governor that the state just concluded the Measles and Rubella immunisations across the state which were given to children between the ages of 9 and 14.