Five
days to the first anniversary of his administration, governor of
Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has continued to attract investments
into the state with the signing of a $1.5 million dollars agreement with
an American healthcare firm, Rise Health Corporation, USA.
- (L-R) Dr. Emeka Okeke, President, Rise Global Health
Initiative, Dr. Hien Tran, Vice Presdient, Chief Willie Obiano,
Governor of Anambra State and another staff of Rise Global Health
Initiative during the MoU signing between Rise Health Corporation and
Anambra State Government at the Governor's Lodge, Awka.
- Under this agreement, Rise Health Corporation will embark on a historic healthcare reengineering project in Anambra State that will usher in a new phase of excellent Medicare in the State. The first phase of the project involves two General Hospitals in the State, one in Ossomala in Ogbaru Local government area and the other in Orumba, Orumba Local Government.
Following
this partnership, Rise Corporation, USA will undertake extensive
facility reconstruction and renovation, human resources management and
training, clinical and financial improvements, the supply of medical
equipment as well as essential pharmaceutical drugs to the selected
hospitals.
- (L-R) Dr. Akabuke, Commissioner for Health, Chief Joe Billy
Ekwunife, MD of ANSIPPA, Dr. Emeka Okeke, President, Rise Global
Health Initiative, Chief Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State, Dr.
Hien Tran, Vice President, Rise Global Health Initiative and Igwe
Cyril Enweze, Chairman of ANISPPA
The
partnership with Rise Corporation is Governor Obiano’s first successful
effort to attract serious investors to the health sector in Anambra
State. Over the course of the project, Rise Corporation is expected to
provide $1.2 million or eighty percent of the project cost while Anambra
State government will provide $300,000 or twenty percent of the project
sum.
Speaking
at the agreement signing ceremony in the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia,
Governor Obiano reiterated his administration’s resolve to turn Anambra
State into a model for healthcare delivery in Africa.
According
to him, his administration is attacking the challenge of delivering a
comprehensive healthcare solution in three major ways – development of
medical infrastructure, assurance of the comfort of patients and finally
the training and retraining of health workers along with improved
conditions of service.
Said
he; “We have 37 General hospitals in Anambra State. They are all in
comatose at the moment. However, we have selected three General
Hospitals across the state, one from each senatorial zone to show our
imprimatur. We have started with the General Hospital in Onitsha. When
we are done with the current work that is going on there, Onitsha
General Hospital will be one of the best in Africa. It will also have a
landing pad for air ambulance. When we finish with Onitsha, we will move
to Ekwulobia and Enugu Ukwu,” he explained.
Governor
Obiano also revealed that his administration had approved about N800
million for the purchase of basic medical items for the 37 general
hospitals across the state, saying, “we have done very well with the
Mission Hospitals. It is a project started by my predecessor that I have
continued and as you are aware, this year alone, we have given them
close to N800 million to improve on our health facility.”
The
governor also revealed that his administration has concluded plans to
launch six floating ambulances in order to open up medical access to the
riverine communities. “We will also launch 15 flying boats that will
assist teachers and health workers in these areas to move freely. We are
trying to provide the best healthcare to our people,” he enthused.
Earlier
in his opening remarks, the President of Rise Global Health Initiative,
the parent company of Rise Health Corporation, USA, Dr. Emeka Okeke had
disclosed that after operating an outfit known as the Rise Clinic in
Adazi-Ani, in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State for four
years, the Rise Group decided to partner with the state government to
expand the scope of its operations to other senatorial districts in the
state.
Dr.
Okeke explained that the group’s imminent expansion would grant access
to more people who are in need of quality healthcare as well as offer
employment opportunities among others.
Also
tracing the history of the intervention of Rise Global Health
Initiative in the health sector of Anambra State, the Vice President of
Rise Health Corporation, USA, Dr. Hien Tran recalled that when the
company started in 2012, its objective was to identify communities that
are able to build independent health systems on their own and lend them
support.
“We
wanted to find communities that are willing to invest in themselves.
And that’s how the partnership between Godwin & Patricia Okeke
Foundation and RiseGlobal Health Initiative the parent group of Rise
Health Corporation began. Since then we have been able to build the
Rise Clinic Nigeria, a comprehensive healthcare center that provides a
comprehensive healthcare to communities as well as support to primary
health centres in Adazi-Ani,” she recalled.
According
to her, Rise Health Corporation had formed a special purpose vehicle
that would grow the Adazi-Ani model of comprehensive healthcare center
in the three senatorial districts of the state, pointing out that this
week, “our focus is really on engaging the community and creating
awareness in this reengineering project because it is the communities
that will be the drivers of the project. So, what this special purpose
vehicle will be doing is not to create something new but to scale up
what we have already accomplished in Adazi-Ani.”
Also
speaking at the agreement signing, the Chairman of Anambra State
Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Igwe Cyril Enweze
observed that the project would focus on the formation of a health
alliance and the formation of a state-wide emergency network and other
emergency support systems.
Throwing
more light on the likely benefits of the project, Igwe Enweze explained
that “the reengineering of two state owned general hospitals in each
coordinating center will improve Anambra State health system and
emergency response capabilities and create jobs for Ndi Anambra as well
as enhance skills acquisition by improving the quality and productivity
of the local workforce.”
Igwe
Enweze also expressed optimism that the project would play a catalytic
role by assisting in the leveraging of resources from the federal
government and more importantly from the donor agencies in order to
improve Anambra’s health system.
The equity structure is 40 % for the state and 60% for Rise Health Corporation.
