By Emeka Nwokocha
In continuation of its routine monitoring of the free malaria treatment in some communities in Delta state, under the Global Fund for ATM programme, the Programme Officer at ACOMIN, in Delta State, Mr. Austin Uwede, has called on the leadership of Sapele, and Isoko North local government councils to support the free malaria treatment exercise by addressing identified challenges that may hinder full implementation of the programme.
Uwede, made the call at the Sapele, and Isoko North local government councils’ secretariats when he led his team on a courtesy call to the councils with recently.
Presenting a report to the Chairman of Sapele local government council, Hon. Eugene Inoaghan, who was represented by the secretary of the council, Hon. Felix Ayemidejor, ACOMIN Programme Officer, Austin Uwede said, “this visit is a follow-up to our previous SAT visit to your office on 16 May, 2022. We want to bring to your knowledge challenges identified across the facilities in your local government where the free malaria treatment is ongoing. These include broken furniture, especially in Adagbrassa and Amukpe Primary Health Care Centres.”
Continuing, Uwede drew the attention of Hon. Ayemidejor, to undistributed stock of donated medical equipment and furniture at the council and passionately called on the Chairman of the Council, Hon. Inoaghan to distribute the items to medical facilities across Sapele LGA to improve service delivery.
He said, “it will be recalled that you stated in our last visit that the donated items could be distributed within a month, that all you needed was approval by the Exco and provision of logistics by the chairman of the council. Therefore, I passionately request that the promise be redeemed as soon as possible.”
In his response, Hon. Ayemidejor commended ACOMIN for its commitment towards ensuring accountability and quality health delivery in Sapele local government area. He said that as promised during the last SAT visit, the medical equipment and furniture ought to have been distributed, even as he affirmed that the Exco had approved the distribution of the items, saying, “but this has not been done because there is a new development.”
He continued, “the LGA ought to have a supervisory councilor for health, of which the state governor had given a directive that the vice-chairman of the local government should play the role of supervisory councilor for health, and would also head the local government health committee. Hon. Ayemidejor added, “having this recent designation in place, it is now the responsibility of the health committee to carry out the distribution of the medical equipment and furniture in no distant time.”
In a related development, Mr. Austin Uwede and team visited the secretariat of Isoko North local government council, Ozoro to update the new Executive Secretary, Health Department of the council, Dr. Stephen Demateide on the activities of ACOMIN in ensuring the ongoing free medical treatment is running smoothly. He commended Dr. Damateide for his support. His words, “in the course of monitoring the free malaria treatment in some of the communities in your local government by my team, we had observed that erosion is washing away parts of the facility in Ofagbe while a tree at the facility in Aradhe became a home to a colony of bats which also found a home in the matrons apartment and parts of the facility. Interestingly, the youths of Aradhe community took action and cut down the tree to eliminate the bats. But there was need to fumigate the facility and the matron’s apartment to finally eliminate the bats, but that was not achieved at the time we exited the facility.”
Uwede continued, “in Akiewhe community, due to the renovation of the facility, a section of the community town hall is being used temporary for the free malaria treatment. Till date, the community town hall serves as temporary facility. It is more than four months the renovation of the facility was begun; we expected that by now the renovation would have been completed. In Ellu and Ozoro communities, we exited the facilities, but have to come back to do a follow up. He called on Dr. Demateide to investigate an allegation by pregnant women, and nursing mothers in Ellu and Ozoro that on the days of immunization they are compelled by health officers to buy paracetamol and other drugs or else they will not be attended to, even when they would tell the health officers that they have the drugs at home. Uwede reiterated that the malaria drugs are free, stating the allegation is a serious indictment he wants the office of the Executive Secretary addressed.
He further noted that the old facility in Ozoro had not been regularly used by the people of the community due to its location, requesting that the newly built facility should be put to use.
In his response, Dr. Demateide appreciated the ACOMIN team for doing a marvelous job in ensuring the ongoing free malaria treatment runs without any hitch. He promised that the Chairman of the council, Hon. Christian Iteire would be updated with the challenges identified in the facilities and would take necessary steps to address them within the limit of available resources.
