Nation
Imo Communities Want State To Refurbish Health Centres
Isu and Abakan communities in Nwangele Local Government area of Imo have called on the state government to rehabilitate their health centres and provide them with personnel with good conduct.
The communities made the appeal at a one-day sensitisation programme on Thursday with the theme: “Improve the Knowledge of Mothers, Parents and Care givers on Essential Family Practices as stated by UNICEF”.
While Abajah community said its health centre should be refurbished, Isu community decried lack of necessary equipment, security and friendly health personnel, which it said, had hindered members of the community from meeting their health needs.
They also called for the establishment of World Development Committee (WDC) in the two communities which comprised 16 villages.
The Chairman of Eze’s Cabinet in Isu Community and Nze Charles Njoku, Eze-in-Council of Abajah community, Chief Donatus Dikeukwu, said their health centres had long been neglected and called for urgent government’s attention to the area.
They also appealed for security personnel to be posted to the health centres and regular visitation to the community by the sanitary inspectors.
The communities promised to cooperate with the health officers.
The State Director of National Orientation Agency, Mr Vitus Ekeocha, throwing more light on the WDC, said that there was growing concern by stakeholders on the decline of Routine Immunization (RI) services occasioned by misinformation, rumour and panic following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
He said the situation was worse in the rural communities with limited access to new information and mass media platforms.
Ekeocha said the lack of awareness on what the outbreaks were all about, the basic facts about each of the diseases, the effects of the diseases, how the behaviour and practices of the people are contributing to the outbreaks, among others, had contributed towards worsening the disease burden in these communities.
He said the re-activation of WDCs became necessary as the most effective communication tools for creating awareness, debunking rumours and clarifying misinformation in respect to diseases, various antigens, what they protect and what age they should be administered, importance and benefits of prevention and care.
The NOA official said the WDCs would also to provide some form of orientation to women groups and social networks on key messages for promoting and tracking the uptake of RI and COVID-19 prevention in selected five communities in each of the three pilot local government areas.
An Immunisation Officer in Nwangele Local Government area, Mr Donatus Ohaka, highlighted the importance of immunising children from the six killer diseases.
He said that over the years, many of diseases that attacked, killed and maimed children had been completely prevented or eradicated in the communities as a result of immunisation.
Ohaka urged women, especially breast feeding mothers, to ensure their children and wards completed the immunisation doses as well as keep their immunisation cards safe.
He also advised the people of the communities to always check their health status and access available drugs to live a healthy life, adding that most deaths in the community were preventable.
Ohaka said that 570 children were immunized out of a total of 991 children expected to have been immunised in Isu and Abajah communities and frowned at the development.
The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Coordinator in Nwangele Local Government area, Mrs Mary-Stella Ofoegbu, harped on the essence of proper hygiene keeping in homes and the surroundings to avoid contracting communicable diseases.
She urged the people to guide against open defecation, imbibe regular hand washing, as well as cut down over grown trees.
A UNICEF consultant, Mrs Ngozi Dike, said that the programme was a UNICEF programme facilitated by NOA and advised members of the two communities to make use of the opportunity to access drugs for their health needs.
The Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr Chioma Ejikeme, has reiterated the commitment to service delivery for pensioners.
Ejikeme said this during the Customer Service Week in Abuja, yesterday.
He said that commission had a mandate to deliver good service delivery to the pensioners.
Ejikeme, who was represented by the Director Civil Service Pension Department, Mr Kabir Yusuf, said that the customer service week was important to operations of PTAD.
“Customer service is the support that you give to a customer, whether it is an existing customer or potential customer in the process of delivering or making enquires about a service.
“To be a good customer service representative you need to be knowledgeable, have good attitude and attribute especially to the senior citizens and have empathy,” he said.
Ejikeme said that all PTAD staff had most of the attributes of a good customer representative.
“We provide excellent customer service by going to verify our aged pensioners who cannot do it by themselves anywhere across the country.
“There is a dedicated team that was mandated to go round to confirm the aliveness of those who can not confirm their aliveness either because the are too old or have health issues,” the executive secretary said.
The National Coordinator, SERVICOM, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, said that the official theme of the 2024 customer service week was “ We Go Above and Beyond For Our Customers.”
She commended PTAD and the SERVICOM team for organising the 2024 customer service week.
“This is in line with the best practice of celebrating frontline workers and service takers.
“Customer service week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October.
It calls attention to the importance of people to boost morale team work and departmental collaboration in supporting pensioners.
“ It is a platform to reward employees for the significant work they do,” Akajemeli said.
She said that the objective of the customer service week was to celebrate the hard work and dedication of employee who strived to create positive customer experiences.
She said that it was time to show customers that the organisation valued their experience and feedback, through comment cards, dedicated hotline, among others.
Akajemeli said that it raised awareness internally and externally about the importance of good customer service in building customer loyalty and satisfaction.
She said that the benefit was to increase motivation, show appreciation, encourage friendly competition, boost employee retention, create a positive workplace and increase productivity.
The Head, Surveillance Department at the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr Abdulrahman Saleem, said that good service delivery was the key success of every establishment.
Salem said that PTAD operated with standard, considering the success it had achieved so far.
Saleem said that pensioners required the best service attitude and behavior.
“ I give kudos to PTAD for its efforts and encourage it to do more.
“Therefore I urge PTAD staff to keep up the standard and continue to give good service to the pensioners,” he said.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has honoured Flying Officer David Sangokoya for winning the 2023/2024 Royal Air Force College Cranwell International Cadet Sword of Honour.
Abubakar honoured the officer during the presentation of cheques to 13 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy (GPAIP) in Abuja, yesterday.
He described the achievement as ground-breaking as it was the first time an African cadet had won the prestigious award since the Academy’s creation over 100 years ago.
According to him, the feat underscores the excellence that exists within NAF, and proof that NAF officers and cadets can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
“To our awardee, you have set a new standard, not just for your peers, but for every cadet and officer that will come after you.
“This accomplishment is a powerful reminder that no goal is out of reach when one is armed with dedication, discipline and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
“Your journey as an officer has begun with this prestigious accolade, but the true measure of your success will be seen in how you serve, lead and contribute to the mission of NAF and the defence of our great nation.
“As we celebrate this historic occasion, we extend our deepest gratitude to the United Kingdom Government for its unwavering support in providing world-class training opportunities to our personnel.
“This has enabled our officers and men to gain invaluable skills and knowledge, strengthening not only our bilateral ties but also our collective ability to address global security challenges,” he said.
The CAS said that the NAF looked forward to continuing the fruitful partnership for the mutual benefit of Nigeria and UK countries.
He expressed gratitude and unflinching loyalty to President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the welfare and training of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and NAF in particular.
“I must also take a moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Defence Academy and the instructors who helped to mould and prepare this cadet for the global stage.
“Their dedication and commitment to developing top-notch officers is evident in this ground-breaking achievement.
“You have not only trained a leader but have given the Nigerian Air Force a legacy we will all cherish,” he said.
National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has advocated private sector involvement to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, made the call at a high-level policy dialogue on sustainable health system reforms in Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.
The Tide’s source reports that the dialogue was organised by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), a coalition of private sector stakeholders, to address the multifaceted challenges plaguing the country’s healthcare system.
The dialogue has “Private Sector Support for SWAP (Sector Wide Approach) in Healthcare” as its theme.
Represented by Dr Yakubu Agada-Amade, the NHIA Director of Standards and Quality Assurance, Ohiri explained the crucial role of private sector collaboration in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system
He highlighted the “One Plan” under the SWAp framework, which seeks to unify health sector efforts, ensuring efficient resource use, effective governance and expanded healthcare access.
He also stressed the importance of overcoming barriers that historically hindered the implementation of healthcare interventions in Nigeria, such as inadequate financing, weak governance systems, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He added that “the dialogue explored innovative approaches, including digital health innovations and financing mechanisms to accelerate the implementation of the National Health Act and mandatory health insurance coverage.
“With enrollment in health insurance growing by 14 per cent over the past year, NHIA can push for greater inclusivity, particularly targeting the informal sector through flexible payment systems and partnerships with telecommunications companies.”
He called for stronger synergy between public and private health actors to ensure universal access to quality healthcare and sustainable reforms in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
Panelists from the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) and Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) echoed the sentiments, underscoring the private sector’s role in expanding insurance coverage and improving healthcare delivery.
They commended NHIA’s efforts toward driving reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).