Rivers govt, UNICEF collaborate on primary health care

By Jimitota Onoyume

PORT HAR-COURT— Rivers State Government is to collaborate with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF,  to strengthen the primary health sector in the state.

Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Harry Agiri, who spoke at a sensitization and stakeholders meeting with the state and the UNICEF, on One Primary Health Centre Per Ward Strategy/Policy, said that the state government has continued to give primary health care development priority attention.

Agiri said though there were challenges of funds, the state government has been paying appreciable attention to the primary health care sector.

He called for an integrated health system with one functional health centre in every five kilometres, adding that in the state, some wards were larger than others depending on the local government.

He said that the state government already has  health centres spread across all parts of the state, adding that  it was strengthening the places.

“Health centres have been built. We are talking of strengthening the systems. In some places, there is one primary health centre in one ward and in other areas there are more than one. It is better to say that in every five kilometres,  there should be at least one functional primary health centre,” he said.

A paper presented by Dr Isaac Opurum noted that  the essence of the programme was to sensitize stakeholders on the importance of primary health centre per ward as a “place of implementation of primary health care under one roof.”

He said that the programme was to also enable UNICEF know where to come in to assist the state achieve the vision.

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