THE health sector is one the areas the administration of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia state can be said to have done well. The administration has touched virtually all the sectors of the economy, but it has literally revolutionized the health sector in the state. In fact, the health sector is one the government pays a lot of attention to.

In line with Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, government has built over 200 health centres across the 17 local government councils of the state. Most of the health centres, which are mainly located in the rural areas, have been equipped, while some of them are being equipped. Health personnel have been posted to those already equipped.

Though they don’t have resident doctors, visiting doctors are attached to them but qualified nurses are permanently attached to attend to patients with the visiting doctors coming regularly.

And the Governor recently directed all the Transition Committee Chairmen in the 17 local government areas to ensure that all the health centres that were ready have all the relevant health personnel. He told them to inform the government if those in their council areas lack personnel, especially nurses and visiting doctors.

Orji said the aim of setting up the health centres was to ensure that health care services are within the reach of the rural masses who sometimes, due to lack of health centres, die or lose their children to minor illnesses that could be easily handled at the health centres.

Perhaps, the health revolution of the Orji administration is best noticed in the building of two world class diagnostic centres located in Umuahia and Aba. The centres are run in partnership with Mecure, a first class Indian Health Institution.

So far, the diagnostic centres have been a huge success as various ailments hitherto treated overseas are now diagnosed at these centres. And as a result of the success recorded so far, the government has acquired more space at the Umuahia Centre to set up a Dialysis Centre for patients with kidney problems.

According to the Health Commissioner, Dr. Okechukwu Ogar, the state governor, Theodore Orji has paid all the counterpart funds relating to HIV/AIDS programme that is run in the state and for other health agencies that have anything to do with AIDS.

The Commissioner said that the state government “has given grants to the state Ministry of Health and other agencies that have health-related matters on AIDS, to run an awareness programmes and also fund other organisations to manage the AIDS programme at Owaza in Ukwa West council area”.

Ogar noted that the state governor has given approval for the employment of about 11 consultants to handle most of the over 200 health centres scattered across the state and once they are employed that the health situation in the state will improved.

He said that when the newly employed consultants resume duties they are expected to bring their wealth of experience to bear on the health sector in the state and also help to train other general practitioner doctors that will be working with them.

Besides, the wife of the Governor, Mercy Odochi Orji has been playing very positive role in the state’s health sector with her active involvement in the sensitization and mobilization of the rural women in the various maternal and child immunization programmes.

In one of the immunization programmes, the Governor’s wife said that she has strong interest in the good health for the rural women and their children because: “As a mother, I know the pains associated with child delivery. I am, therefore, committed towards the success of this follow up action to combat deaths associated with child delivery. It is a comprehensive package that cares for both pregnant women and under-five children.

“Mothers need not die in childbirth. We must give our young women the information and support they need to control their reproductive health, help them during pregnancy and care for the new born well in childhood”.

So far, with just lest than one year into his second term administration, the performance of the state in health sector could be described as very well with hope that before the Governor’s second year runs out in 2015, the state’s health sector must have been taken to the desired

ANAYO OKOLIis Vanguard”s correspondent in Abia State.