Benue gov orders free delivery for pregnant women in PHCs

Benue gov orders free delivery for pregnant women in PHCs

Benue state government has ordered that the delivery of new born babies in Primary Healthcare Centre, PHCs, in the state be free of charge even as it commenced the distribution of free delivery kits called Mama Kits to expectant mothers.

The Executive Secretary of the Benue State Primary Health Care Board, BSPHCB, Mrs. Grace Wende made this known in Makurdi at a one day review meeting of health stakeholders and development partners at the Local Government level.

She said the meeting was aimed at reviewing and restrategizing on programmes and interventions in order to improve Maternal and Child Health Services and all the Health Care services in the various Local Government Areas, LGAs.

According to her, “the meeting is an intensive and integrated review meeting. Integrated in the sense that we are talking about all the activities being handled at the Local Government Health Authority. We want to know what we are doing well and what we are not doing well in order to correct all the errors.

“After this meeting so much will come forth because so much investment is going on to the various LGAs. We have the Investment Fund by the Impact Project supporting the Primary Health Care Board, by the World Bank.

“This investment Fund was given to us last year and we started last year. We are going to provide this to all the PHC per Council Ward. That is the Basic Healthcare Provision Facilities that are being supported by the Federal Government. The Federal Government has the Renewed Hope to ensure that all Primary Health Care, PHC, facilities are viable.

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“We are on the verge of revitalising all the PHC in the 276 Wards in Benue State. Everything is set, we are improving on the buildings and provide accommodation for the officers in charge so that they can provide 24 hours service to the people of Benue State across the 276 Council Wards of the state.

“We are supporting the PHCs. They are simultaneously receiving basic equipment. They are receiving delivery beds and equipment and the focus is on reducing Maternal and Child mortality in Benue.

“In fact it is not only in Benue because the Federal Government is insisting that we improve all the indices across the country and here in Benue we are doing just that.

“That was why I was completely shocked when I read somewhere that PHCs in Benue are not working. Those behind that fake news were obviously out to do mischief to tarnish the image of a government that has been doing so much in the health sector.

“In Benue today we have insisted that delivery is free of charge in all PHC. We are also giving out free Mama kits. We are providing it at all PHCs to be given free to every pregnant woman who comes to deliver. These are things they collect money for, but the Benue state Government is giving it free of charge to all PHCs for distribution to expectant mothers.

“We are doing so much through Governor Hyacinth Alia who has not relented in his support to ensure that our people enjoy quality Healthcare services.”

The Project Manager Impact Project,
Dr. Energy Ochai, explained that “the review meeting is geared towards analysing basically the activities that take place at the LGAs and the PHC facilities.

“This is with regards to their Immunisation activities, the services they render at the PHCs also in regards to deliveries that are ongoing at the PHCs and other technical and administrative issues.

“Generally we are taking a look at the investments that have gone into improving the structures of the PHCs in Benue state. We are taking a look at the result that we have gotten from the investment that have gone in there. Some of the results are encouraging while some of them show that we need to do a lot better.”

Declaring the meeting open earlier, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Yanmar Ortese who noted the importance of the meeting pointed out that though the first quarter statistics showed a decline in health outcomes in the state “there is great improvement in quarter two data.”

Benue gov orders free delivery for pregnant women in PHCs