By Chinedu Adonu

Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, ENS-PHCDA, on Thursday assured the state its commitment and readiness to tackle the spread of coronavirus across communities in the state.

The Executive Secretary of ENS-PHCDA, Dr George Ugwu, who made this known to newsmen in Enugu, disclosed that more than 50 per cent of current COVID-19 cases are community transmission.

Ugwu disclosed that Primary Health Care (PHC) system across the country had to double their efforts at containing the spread of COVID-19.

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He explained that in the bid to tackle the virus, the National PHCDA held several meetings and came up with what it termed, “response and preparedness to COVID-19 at the PHC centres and community levels”.

Ugwu said that back in the state, the ENS-PHCDA had to convene emergency board meetings because of the importance it places on the wellbeing of the people especially at the community and rural levels.

“When the deadly disease broke out, many states had the challenge of how to maintain PHC services. But here in Enugu, we decided that we shall not only continue with our health care delivery but also improve on what we have been doing. Health is an exception in this issue of lockdown,’’ he said.

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Ugwu noted that in line with directives by the national PHCDA, the state PHCDA had been making efforts to ensure that community transmission of the virus was controlled by first deepening and strengthening of risk communication and social mobilization, which involves giving out the correct information and dispelling rumours about the virus.

“In rural areas, people keep thinking it is a disease of the rich. But with our local platforms for social mobilization and health information sharing, we are able to keep the people informed on what to do in other not to contract the virus. We intend to intensify it as much as possible,’’ he said.

The executive secretary explained that the agency, in this regard, had to collaborate with traditional, religious leaders and other community leaders to ensure that the people at the grassroots are better informed about how to avoid contracting the virus.

He said that the agency had been conducting training and orientation for PHC workers in the state to ensure that they are better informed and have the needed skills to identify and put victims of the virus in a holding area.

Vanguard