From Marcel Duru Owerri
A Medical Practitioner based in Abia State Dr Ahams Eze has condemned the Imo State governor Hope Uzodimma for allowing Traditional Medicine Practitioners from different Nationalities to take over Health Care Delivery in the State. Speaking at Somachi the Pavilion of Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Owerri-North Local Government Area of Imo State he decried the sea of heads scrambling for Traditional Medicine to cure their ailments, adding that some of the people who are patronizing them don’t have another alternative to health care. “I could remember in previous administrations, some Health Centres in the State were functioning like the once at Ngor-Okpala, Mbaise, Orlu, Ideato, Isiala Mbano, Nwangele amongst others were functioning with Resident Doctors and qualified Nurses but now they are incapacitated and some of the complexes have over grown by weeds while others have been converted to homes for mad people.
In the same vein, Community Leader, Chief Abiakam from Avu in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State has said that some Health Care Delivery were achieved in Community Health Care Centers controlled by Local Government Councils and the allocation meant to Carry out this Health Care Delivery were hijacked by the State Governors for their political and selfish aggrandizement. Similarly, Dr. Francis Nwaelugo in his Contribution stated that the present government seem not be very interested in Health Care Delivery and are not committed to render genuine Health Service to the populace and to see the growth of the Sector. “Government is yet to take up Health as a major National or State issues and to commit the required resources to it; it is one thing to have a document establishing a Health Facility in a given Community and another thing to ensure that the Facility is actually rendering the required service to the Communities.” He added that the attitude of government towards the Health Sector is such that there is a deliberate lack of willingness in providing the necessary Facilities in Hospitals, Health Centres, particularly Public Hospitals and also Medical Practitioners in Public Health Service have failed both Government and Public in the delivery of service.
Nwaelugo further projected that Service Delivery is no longer their utmost goal, Public Hospitals and Health Centers have become a fishing ground for patients to be cornered to their respective hospitals for maximization of profits”They are no longer fully committed to serving the patients and consequently, patients now suffer from dual tragedy. “Meanwhile all the effort to get the Commissioner for Health as at time of this report to comment on the malfunctioning and dilapidated structures of Health Institution in Imo State proved abortive.
