Barely 48 hours after a PREMIUM TIMES report uncovered the rot in Major Well being Centres (PHCs) throughout Akwa Ibom, the State authorities has declared a state of emergency on the well being sector.
The investigative report, revealed on Thursday, revealed how poorly staffed and ill-equipped PHCs have pressured ladies to ship at dwelling or within the fingers of unskilled beginning attendants, leading to preventable deaths of moms and infants.
The report additionally confirmed that many “mannequin PHCs” commissioned by the federal government had been both locked up, with out workers, or unable to offer night time providers.
Throughout Akwa Ibom’s 468 PHCs, there are solely about 2,164 well being employees —lower than 5 per facility. That is far beneath the 24 workers minimal beneficial by the Nationwide Major Well being Care Growth Company (NPHCDA).
Maternal healthcare indicators additionally replicate the decay: solely 38.6 per cent of dwell births within the state happen in well being services, based on the Nigeria Demographic and Well being Survey 2023-2024.
The report additional exhibits that Akwa Ibom has one of many lowest percentages of births delivered by a talented supplier (51.5 per cent) in Nigeria, the bottom throughout the southern and North-central states besides Niger.
In consequence, Akwa Ibom State now has a prevalence of maternal mortality charge of 774 per 100,000 lives, based on District Health Information Software 2.
In the meantime, PREMIUM TIMES discovered that whereas billions of naira had been budgeted for PHC building and rehabilitation, many services stay non-functional.
In Might, Governor Umo Eno additionally gifted 13 SUVs value about ₦1.3 billion to federal lawmakers—a sum that well being consultants say may pay PHC workers salaries for a number of years.
Swift motion
On the finish of the State Government Council assembly on Friday, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Data, Aniekan Umanah
introduced that Governor Eno had declared a state of emergency on the well being sector.
In his published excerpts from the assembly, Mr Umanah mentioned the governor made the choice after a complete evaluation of the State’s healthcare growth roadmap.
He mentioned the declaration will speed up reforms and guarantee environment friendly well being providers throughout the state.
Mr Umanah mentioned key directives below the emergency evaluation embody additional improve of medical services throughout the State, reopening of the recruitment portal and engagement of two,000 healthcare employees, with the Voters Identification Quantity (VIN) requirement waived for candidates.
“Council additional directed the upgrading of well being coaching establishments, enrollment and coaching of well being professionals, in addition to the engagement of retired however keen medical personnel on contract foundation”, the Commissioner mentioned.
READ ALSO: In Akwa Ibom, pregnant ladies, infants die as a consequence of poorly-equipped PHCs whereas govt wastes billions
Mr Umanah added {that a} 12-member inter-ministerial steering committee, chaired by the Commissioner for Well being, Ekem Emmanuel, has been set as much as oversee implementation.
The PREMIUM TIMES report had earlier famous that the federal government’s earlier plan to recruit only one,000 healthcare personnel was grossly insufficient to sort out the excessive maternal and little one mortality burden within the state.
