A’Ibom Govt Targets 31 Model Health Centres By 2025

….As late Patience Eno Receives SOGON Posthumous Award
By Timothy Ekpo
UYO
In a bid to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the state,the Akwa Ibom government has said that it was committed to providing modern health centres in the 31 local government areas before the end of next year.
Governor Umo Eno stated this at the 58th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), which place at Ibom Hall, Uyo, recently.
Represented by the deputy governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, the governor said his administration was committed to the effective development of the primary health care delivery system in the state.
Eno, who described the conference as a project aimed at generating ideas for the preservation of lives, explained that health care development had been prioritised by government, thus resulting in the huge investment witnessed, especially in the primary health care delivery sector.
  “This is the programme which aims to generate ideas for the preservation of lives and the perpetuation of mankind. Health care matters to us in this administration, hence our massive investment in the sector, especially in primary health care delivery system”, he said.
Eno noted that already his administration has begun the commissioning of some model health centres, equipped with modern facilities, including power supply and staff quarters with several others at various stages of completion.
The state chief executive assured the conference that Akwa Ibom government was very committed towards ensuring that the rate of infant and neonatal challenges at the grassroots were reduced to the minimum and, as such, before the end of 2025, each local government area would have a functional model health centre.
  “With this facility at the grassroots, there would be improved access to health care and a substantial reduction in the rate of maternal and neonatal mortality”, the governor assured.
Eno told the conference that the goal of government in the determination to boost the primary health care delivery system in the state, was to align with the vision of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that every pregnant woman and new born babies have access to quality care from the stage of pregnancy, child birth and post natal period.
He maintained that in demonstration of its commitment to health care delivery in the state, government was determined to make use of facilities and opportunities offered by Ibom Specialist Hospital by allowing it to operate as a private concern and ensure that qualified hands were recruited and provided with conducive living environment to enhance productivity.
  The governor hinted that, as a state, Government was consciously pursuing Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of checking maternal mortality rate to less than seven to every hundred by 2030, adding that with the location of health facilities at the grassroots, the delivery of children at home under traditional birth attendants, would be addressed.
Eno observed that the theme of the conference, “Sustaining Quality Maternal and Child Health in a Challenging Economy,” captured the efforts of government through the daunting task of ensuring access to quality health care by women, children and the rest of the people.
He pointed out that access to health care with regards to child and maternal care was crucial and should not be handled by non-professionals or be detected by the low level of the economy and as such government was intervening.
The governor charged the conference to take advantage of the expertise of participants to arrive at findings and recommendations that would help government and critical stakeholders to meet global best practices in health care delivery in the country.
Eno commended the Society in acknowledging the contribution of his wife, late Pst. Patience Eno, to women health and advocacy against Gender Based Violence, with a Posthumous Award of Excellence in Service to humanity, stressing that he was receiving the award with the assurance that his wife’s efforts were not in vain, while her legacies would live for ever.
In his address, the national president of SOGON, Professor Okechukwu Ikpeze, said the Conference would provide participants and stakeholders the platform and opportunities to interact, share ideas, network and push the agenda to the highest levels of healthcare delivery for women from childhood to reproductive years.
Ikpeze explained the that Conference was his first project since his election in 2023 as the President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, noting that it will be complemented by captivating social activities since the State was already known for great hospitality.
He acknowledged the peace and enabling security dispositions of the State and the services provided by Ibom Air, adding that it was on these premises that SOGON took its 58th AGM and Scientific Conference to Uyo.
The chairman, Local Organizing Committee, Professor Emem Bassey, said he was thrilled to gather the best minds in obstetrics and gynaecology across the nation to share knowledge, innovations, and experiences which will shape the future of women’s healthcare in Nigeria and beyond.
Highpoint of the event were the conferring of different categories of awards on deserving individuals amongst them, the Late Pastor Patience Umo Eno, who bagged a Posthumous Award of Excellence for Service to Humanity and the induction of new members into the Society.