OBI EMPOWERS HOSPITALS WITH GRANTS OF 3 BILLION NAIRA
Governor Peter Obi
Governor Peter Obi has distributed grants of over one billion Naira, being part of a total of 3 Billion Naira he said had been set aside to turn around selected missionary healthcare institutions in the next 1 year.
The money is to be utilized by the hospitals to improve their infrastructure such as for hostel projects and Accreditation programmes. Governor Obi who distributed the grants at the Women Development Centre Awka, also distributed MDGs Medical equipment valued at one hundred and thirty five Million naira to one hundred and five Government and Mission health facilities, across the state.
The benefiting schools for the hostel projects are school of midwifery Iyi-Enu; School of Nursing, Iyi-Enu; School of Midwifery, Our Lady of Lourdes, Ihiala; School of Nursing, Our Lady of Lourdes, Ihiala; School of Midwifery, Ani and School of Midwifery,Waterside Onitsha with each receiving sixty million naira. Iyienu Hospital, Ogidi received one hundred and twenty million naira grant for its accreditation programme; Borromeo hospital, Onitsha, one hundred million naira;Our Lady of Lourdes hospital, Ihiala ninety million naira; and Saint Joseph's hospital, Adazi ninety million, among oth
Among the beneficiaries of the MDGs Medical equipment are fifty-five government health facilities, twenty five health facilities of the Anglican Communion and twenty five health facilities owned by the Catholic Church.
Governor Obi in his speech said the six hostels were part of the new ten hostels government was building in various Schools of Nursing and Midwifery while government will spend over three billion naira in the hospitals within one year to lay strong foundation for effective and affordable healthcare delivery.
The Governor said his administration was determined to reposition the hospitals to meet the health needs of the people and discourage seeking health services abroad.
The Chairman, MDGs implementation committee and Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Professor Chinyere Okunna , explained that the event signaled the winding down of the 2009 MDGs activities, while the disbursement of funds marked the commencement of the planned massive turnaround of the health sector in the state.
The Commissioner announced that monitoring teams from the Presidency and the State Ministry of Planning and Budget would be visiting the facilities to confirm that all items of the equipment were fully deployed.
The Commissioner for health, Professor Amobi Ilika said the empowerment would further strengthen the health institutions as collaborators in the drive to reposition the health sector and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Professor Ilika disclosed that the National Universities Commission has given approval to the State University to run a Medical School while admission into the State School of Nursing has been increased from fifty to one hundred and twenty slots.
Responding, the Metropolitan Arch bishop of Onitsha, Most Reverend Valerian Okeke , noted that the Church has laid strong foundation for Education and Health Services which according to him produced great leaders and intellectuals who helped to reshape the country.
Anglican Bishop on the Niger, Right Reverend Owen Nwokolo extolled the Governor's bold steps to promote quality health services and enjoined other Governors to emulate the Governor.