AbIa State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has formally functionalised the Amaokwe Item and Amaegbuato Nkpa Primary Health Centres in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery across the state.
Speaking during the inauguration of the facilities, Governor Otti said his administration had so far functionalised about nine primary healthcare centres across Bende LGA as part of ongoing efforts to improve access to quality healthcare services, particularly in rural communities.
The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Professor Ogbonnaya Uche, disclosed that the state government was also constructing a modern specialist hospital at the Umunnato General Hospital to complement ongoing investments in the health sector.
He said the newly upgraded health centres has been equipped with critical life-saving facilities, including ultrasound machines, auto analysers, oxygen units and laboratory equipment designed to enhance diagnostic and treatment services.
According to the Governor, the facilities have also been staffed with qualified nurses to provide round-the-clock healthcare services, adding that visiting doctors would be deployed periodically to attend to more specialised medical needs.
Governor Otti urged residents of the benefiting communities to take ownership of the facilities and ensure their proper utilisation and protection, assuring them that more developmental projects would be delivered as his administration progresses.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ulu Kalu, said the governor’s healthcare reforms were driven by a determination to reduce preventable deaths, particularly among pregnant women and newborns.
Dr Kalu noted that the Otti led administration was working towards ensuring that every political ward in the state had access to a well-equipped and fully functional primary healthcare centre supported by a skilled workforce.
He called on the community members to safeguard the facilities against vandalism, warning that anyone found damaging government property would be made to face the full weight of the law.
In his remarks, the Mayor of Bende Local Government Area, Deacon Uwabunkeonye Bassey, commended Governor Otti for what he described as unprecedented investments in the health sector.
He disclosed that the governor had approved the upgrade of 16 primary healthcare centres in Bende, the highest allocation to any local government area in the state, and assured residents that more communities would benefit from the administration’s healthcare interventions.
In his contribution, the President-General of Amaokwe Item Welfare Union, Prince Harrison Okorie, and the National President of the Amaokwe Item Women’s Wing, Lady Mercy Kesandu-Uko, expressed gratitude to the governor for improving healthcare infrastructure in their communities.
They said the interventions would significantly improve access to quality medical services and contribute to increasing life expectancy among residents.
