By Anayo Okoli – Enugu

The COVID-19 pandemic, though an emergency, no doubt has thought the nation’s (Nigerian) leaders from the President to the governors and even members of the National Assembly a big lesson, notably on the state of the healthcare system.

It is simply a wakeup call to them. It has made a lot of the nation’s leaders to realize the need to have a quality healthcare system from the federal up to the rural areas.

It has made some of them realize that even in the western world, some little things as virus can defy their technology.

However, in all fairness, some of the governors have demonstrated that they could give their people the best. In the South East, for example, former governor Peter Obi realized this and invested heavily in the health sector, but the follow up by his successor has not been encouraging and that is the bane of the system.

In Enugu State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is poised to strengthen the healthcare system with serious bias on community health so as to boost the heatlh care of the rural masses.

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To this end, last week, he swore-in an associate Professor of Community Health, Emmanuel Obi as the new commissioner for health, the idea,

Southeast Voice learned he was to bring his vast knowledge in the area of community health to impact on the state. Besides, he has completed a brand new hospital in Nsukka which is presently serving as isolation centre but will be converted to serve as a state-of-the-art virology centre with the headquarters to be located at the dilapidated Colliery hospital, where work is expected to begin soon for a modern state-of-the-art Virology Centre, where viral diseases would detected and treated.

Also on the card is the proper equipping and deployment of the gigantic Diagnostic Centre built by immediate past governor of the state, Sullivan Chime to render first class services to people.

And to make it function effectively, the governor plans to make it independent of other health institutions by having a full-fledged.

And in line with this, the governor has ensured that health programmes run in the state-owned institutions are all fully accredited.

Vanguard News Nigeria.