NGO Reaffirms Commitment In Improving Healthcare Delivery , Advocacy, Accountability

NGO Reaffirms Commitment In Improving Healthcare Delivery , Advocacy,  Accountability 

By Magnus Emuji 

A Non-Governmental Organization known as a Civil Society Organization on Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN), has said that its focus is on supporting governments efforts in healthcare service delivery, advocacy and accountability.

The Delta State Chairman of ACOMIN, Pastor Gregory Sifo stated this in Asaba during an advocacy visit to a newly appointed and sworn in Permanent Secretary in the State, Dr. Paul Yinkore in the Community Engagement Strategic Initiative (CESI) programme, a component of ACOMIN project in the State. 

Recall that before his elevation to the status of Permanent Secretary, Dr. Yinkore had been the Executive Secretary of the Delta State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and he is still working in the Agency pending when the Permanent Secretaries would be officially deployed.

Sifo, however, stated that the essence of the visit was to congratulate Dr. Yinkore on his appointment as Permanent Secretary, whose  Agency according to him , had been a key partner to ACOMIN, and to use the  opportunity to reiterate the primary responsibility and activities of ACOMIN.

He said that ACOMIN is working in 10 local government areas in the State, adding that his NGO had contributed immensely towards improving healthcare service delivery by ensuring that communities and government address the gaps at the PHCs.

While reaffirming his organization's commitment to ensuring that communities take ownership of their facilities cited in their domains, since government alone cannot do it alone, Sifo informed the Permanent Secretary that HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as thematic disease areas had been integrated.

The ACOMIN State Chairman disclosed that virtually all the PHCs were lacking staff while the cooling system in some of the facilities were not working, stressing that he had consistently led his team to the stakeholders in the Delta State Local Government Service Commission to make case for the employment of staff  for the PHCs.

In his remarks, the State Program Officer for End Time Soldier, Mr. Henry Nobea highlighted some of the issues confronting Obior PHC in Aniocha North and Obodogba health centre in Oshimili North, to include inactive solar battery at Obior healthcare facility and  wrong reinstallation of solar panel at Obodogba PHC respectively.

Responding, Dr. Yinkore appreciated ACOMIN for what it had been doing in the State, particularly at the PHCs , emphasizing that the organization had been providing supportive role  in driving the health sector to greater heights and for sharing in the joy of his elevation.

Dr. Yinkore promised to continue to collaborate with NGOs in order for the state government to benefit from them in improving the healthcare delivery, just as he assured ACOMIN that the challenges would be addressed.

In continuation of the advocacy, the ACOMIN State Chairman and his team also visited the Local Government Service Commission where a stakeholder in the Commision, Mr. John Akwakwa told ACOMIN officials that few local government councils including Ndokwa West, Warri South , Sapele Ika South and Ethiope West have absorbed some staff who would be deployed to their healthcare centres.

Akwakwa asserted that sone local government councils had the financial capacity to pay if they employed some workers for their PHCs, noting that their  Commission had notified the Governor on the need for local government commission to carry recruitment of staff.