The Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Council has called for improved attention to be given to the primary healthcare system in the state.
The council made the decision when a delegation from the Akwa Ibom State Primary Healthcare Development Agency visited the Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Council chambers in Uyo on Thursday, August 18, 2022, to intimate members of the council of the agency’s plans for the second half of the year 2022.
Re-echoing points earlier raised by various Paramount Rulers, the President General, Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Council and Oku Ibom Ibibio, His Eminence, Ntenyin (Dr.) Solomon Daniel Etuk said primary healthcare is very crucial to the existence of every entity and urged health workers to show commitment and dedication to their job.
The royal father frowned at situations where primary health care centres are always deserted by workers assigned to work there, insisting that there are health centres in the state that are in good condition but no staff reports for duty.
While admitting that some primary health centres in the state need to be renovated and properly equipped, the council however acknowledged the state government’s efforts at boosting healthcare delivery in the state.
Furthermore, Ntenyin Solomon Etuk urged the agency to create an avenue where management of primary healthcare centres brief traditional rulers and the public on issues bordering on the discharge of their responsibilities.
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He promised the delegation that the council will mount sufficient enlightenment to assist the agency to carry out its assignments in the various Local Government Areas with ease, imploring them to feel free to consult traditional rulers in their respective domains.
The leader of the delegation from the Akwa Ibom State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Mrs Margaret Lawrence Etim, who is the Director of Health Promotions in the agency, appreciated the traditional institution for always supporting the agency.
According to her, the agency has been making commendable efforts to deepen public access to primary healthcare, adding that such efforts had resulted in tremendous effects.
She disclosed that for the second half of the year, the agency will embark on massive Covid-19, measles, cholera and diarrhoea vaccination, sensitization and treatment in all the LGAs.
Mrs Etim stated that for the plan to be properly executed, the traditional rulers should assist the agency in the area of enlightening the populace on the benefits of vaccination, stressing that many still harbour various misconceptions about it.
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“You’ve been helping us in the area of community social responsibility. Continue to help us fulfil our mandate of community development in our state,” she appealed.
Also in the agency’s delegation were Dr Ime Sylvester Udo, Director, Disease Prevention and Immunization, and Mrs Nsidibe Ita, a Health Promotions Officer.
