BY ABUCHI IFESINACHI, AWKA
Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has said under his administration, the state will house the best general hospitals in sub-saharan Africa .
The Governor who recalled that the immediate past administration paid more attention to the mission hospitals noting that such attention was to the detriment of government-owned health facilities in the state as he observed that the general hospitals he inherited from his predecessor were nothing to write home about .
Governor Obiano who performed the official commissioning of the State Drug Information Centre as well as the Drug Quality Control Laboratory at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu's University Teaching Hospital Amaku Awka , explained that his administration would pay priority attention to the health sector . He said he would embark on 3-pronged approach to realise the aforementioned objective .
According to him the approach include infrastructure , comfort of patients as well as welfare of health workers in general to ensure that there are hospitals that could attend to the medical and health needs of the citizenry.
The Governor stated that at the moment efforts were being intensified to revamp the general hospitals in Onitsha, Enugwu-Ukwu and Ekwulobia respectively to guarantee quality health care delivery .
In his address of welcome, Anambra Commissioner for Health Dr.Joe Akabuike was of the opinion that the facilities commissioned by the State Governor were milestone achievements as he believed that the drug information centre and the drug quality control laboratory would aid in the fight against fake and counterfeit drugs . He said the facilities would also reduce deaths resulting from in-take of substandard pharmaceutical products .
The State Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Mr.Sule Mommodu said Governor Willie Obiano has demonstrated good leadership through his virile health policies especially his resolve to flush out fake drugs in the state .
Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association Anambra State branch Dr.Eric Anazodo said the facilities came at the right time especially as it concerns diagnosis , medication and dosage . Dr. Anazodo therefore assured Governor Obiano that doctors would work closely with him to ensure that the health policies and programmes of government was realised .