Chairman, Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon Ferguson Onwo, has emphasized the need for prompt and efficient healthcare delivery system in the state.
Hon Onwo who stated this when he led members of the Committee on an oversight visit to the head office of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission, DSCHC, in Asaba, said quality health care is a key component of the MORE agenda of the Oborevwori’s led administration.
The Lawmaker who represents Isoko South 2 Constituency in the House, stressed the importance of adequate and quick response to the needs of patients that seek medical attentions across health facilities in the state.
He said members of the Committee were very concerned on the issue and would continue to collaborate with stakeholders to restore sanity where it is lacking in the state’s health institutions.
Onwo noted that government’s goal of accessible and affordable health care in the state can only be said to have been achieved, when Health Workers played their roles effectively and in accordance with tenets of the profession.
Dwelling on principles behind the visit, Hon Onwo listed Law Making, Representation and Oversight as the three basic functions of the legislature.
He explained that provisions of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, gave Assembly Committees power to oversight Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, stressing that his led Committee on Health can not be found wanting in that regard, hence visits to MDAs under it watch.
Onwo assured the Delta State Contributory Health Commission of the readiness of the
Committee to synergies with it in ensuring that challenges faced were addressed to enhance health care delivery services at the grassroots.
The Lawmaker lauded management for all the strategies adopted to ensuring that more Deltans were enrolled into the scheme, even as he asked for quality assurance as the enrollees increases.
Hon Onwo and his team also visited the Delta State Traditional Medicine Board, where he called for partnership and innovations to rebrand the board to enhance public attraction.
The Lawmaker asserted that for traditional medicine to receive expected patronage by Nigerians, the name must be change to Alternative Medicine as many still see it as idolatry.
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He maintained that countries such as India, and China has developed its alternative medicine as a brand that is globally accepted.
Onwo charged the board to change the narratives and challenged it to expand its Botanical Gardens in the state, besides the one located in Mosogar, Ethiope West Local Government Area.
He assured the board of legislative support that can assist it to be attractive to the masses.
The Chairman, Delta State Contributory Health Insurance Commission, Dr Austin Obido and the Director General, Dr Issac Apkoveta, said the Commission intends to enroll One Million residents in the state this year.
Obidi and Akpoveta explained that so far the Commission has enrolled three hundred and thirty two residents, even as he called on corporate organizations and well to do individuals to help enroll poor and indigent families.
They noted that the Commission has added private health facilities into the scheme as using only public health institutions can not meet up with demands of numerous enrollees into the system.
The Chairman and Director General of the Commission, thanked the Assembly Committee on Health for the familiarization tour.
The Executive Secretary, Delta State Traditional Medicine Board, Mr Peter Adaine, said the board was established by the state government to regulate and control traditional medicine practitioners in the state.
Mr Adaine asked for the Committee support in the areas of vehicles for mobility, adequate funding to run the board and training for practitioners.
He also seek support of the Lawmakers on the board’s intention to establish Specialized Traditional Medicine Facilities in bone setting, mental rehabilitation and child delivery, across the three senatorial districts of the state.
On the entourage of Hon Onwo were Vice Chairman of the Committee, Hon Emeka Asamuta and members, including Hon Perkins Umukoro, Festus Utuama and Mathew Omonade.
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