By: Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ayuk, has reiterated government’s desire to restore quality and efficient health service delivery to Cross Riverians wherever they might reside within the 18 local government areas.
He made this disclosure in Calabar while addressing newsmen on 100 days in office of His Excellency Sen. Bassey Otu and what he had achieved within the period under review.
It would be recalled that the state of health facilities in the state were in serious bad and deplorable conditions so to say.
However, he said, “given this ugly scenario, the governor had mandated the Ministry of Health to work assiduously to ensure that our health facilities were restored for effective and efficient health service delivery as soon as possible”.
To actualize this lofty vision and mandate from His Excellency, Dr Ayuk said the Ministry is not leaving any stone unturned towards achieving the directive. So far the Ministry had identified areas of interest such as increase in personnel, upgrading of health facilities especially Primary Health Centres and provisions of electricity and pipe borne water etc.
Within the period under review, he said, “alot has been achievird in this direction”.
He spoke of the Insurance Health policy in the state where it had conducted enrolment of 24,874 enrollees from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). Programme were enlisted into the programme, 10,946 enrollees from formal Sector (Civil Servants) and 16,470 Civil Servants registered into the sector.
The Ministry had also conducted full accreditation of 54 PHCs and 27 Private Health Facilities as primary providers across the State, Provision of access to Care to 15,439 of the BHCPF beneficiaries and 7,403 of the Formal Sector beneficiaries, Conducted validation exercise of beneficiaries of BHCPF ascertain the active population in the Scheme, Setup Standard Quality Assurance unit in the Agency, Printed and distributed Service Utilization registers and revised data collection tools to all the PHCs under the BHCPF programme.
Also, the Ministry had paid up-to-date capitation to all the PHCs under the BHCPF programme and all secondary health Facilities of the formal Sector, conducted Monitoring & Supportive Supervision of Secondary health care facilities under the formal Sector, carried out a Face lift of the office including upgrading of the CRSHIA office reception, painting of CRSHIA office interiors, delineation and marking of CRSHIA Staff parking lots setting up official flags (CRSHIA, SMOH, Cross River &Nigeria) within the office premises, printing and mounting flex banners for CRSHIS (with Mission, VISION & MANDATE) as well as printing and mounting of flex for CRSHIS Benefit Package of Health Services among others.
“His Excellency, Sen. Bassey Otu “People’s Healthcare mandate of creating a most compelling health system where citizens of Cross River State have access to full range of quality health services they need, where and when they need them, without financial hardship, he noted”.
Ayuk enumerated other strategic goals to include, “increase access to and availability of Primary Healthcare to all citizens of the state, promote investment for universal access to comprehensive quality, general and emergency hospital services in the state, build inclusive and strategic partnership of government, private sector, international partnership and networks to increase health access as well as scale up social health insurance and other health finance options to reduce financial risks and improve access”.
He sued for a cordial working relationship with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists towards the restoration of our health facilities in the state.
According to him, “we are ready for constructive criticism and not destructive/junk journalism”.
He lauded the media on the great publicity given to his Ministry within the 100 days of His Excellency Sen Bassey Otu administration in the state, noting that, “we are ready to collaborate with you more often in the present”.
“There is no going back in achieving the mandate of His Excellency Sen Bassey Otu on the issue of healthcare delivery in the state”.
“I want to assure you that His Excellency Sen Bassey Otu is highly committed to seeing that healthcare services is brought to the doorstep of all Cross Riverians irrespective of the class, he added”.
Earlier, the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Gill Nsa, had reassured the commissioner that the media in the state will always support the vision and mandate of the governor especially as it concerns Health care delivery.
He, however, used the opportunity to formally congratulate him on his appointment as Health Commissioner.
