By Michael Nnebife
The free antenatal services and delivery programme of the Chukwuma Soludo Administration in Anambra State have recorded no fewer than 7,853 deliveries, including 77 caesarian sections in six months of existence.
The state Health Reproductive Coordinator, Dr Uju Okoye, disclosed this while speaking in a media programme recently in Awka, the state capital.
The health coordinator noted that the record for the success stories of the programme was verifiable, arguing that the coordinating unit did not only rely on the reports received from the programme implementing health facilities but also confirmed from the beneficiaries that no payment was taken from them.
Dr Okoye, who stated that the 77 caesarian sections were conducted in the general hospitals across the state, noted that government mapped out a strategic fund for the service and took care of all the logistics involved and were outside the normal delivery services.
She expressed delight with what she called the exciting progress the programme had recorded so far despite on the inception challenges, which the programme implementing health workers had been adjusted to.
Noting that the programme had come to stay, Dr Okoye applauded Governor Soludo for prioritizing the welfare of the downtrodden, a situation, she said, had never happened before in the state.
Okoye, who further explained that the programme had entered a second phase, said that government had distributed all the required medical supplies to the programme implementing health facilities across the state.
While noting that Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku Awka, was not included in the programme, Okoye appealed to the local government transition committee chairmen, traditional rulers and presidents general of Anambra communities to support the programme by enlightening and encouraging their subjects to patronize the primary healthcare centres in their domains.
She enjoined people to report any anomaly observed in the programme through the phone numbers, 08036681476, 09063227856 and 08035657865.
