Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Monday settled the medical bills of some patients who were unable to make such payments after their discharge from the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Park Lane, Enugu.
Among the beneficiaries of the governor’s kind gesture was a middle-aged woman, Mrs. Sunday Blessing, who delivered her baby via Caesarean Section at the hospital but could not leave as she had yet to settle the medical bill.
The governor settled the bills while flagging-off the first round of this year’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week which took place at Park Lane General Hospital, Enugu.
Addressing the gathering comprising health workers and nursing mothers, Governor Ugwuanyi informed them that the programme seeks to curb the “unacceptably high maternal, newborn and child mortality rates in the country” and to explore the most effective ways to address the challenges it poses in the society.
He explained that the priority that health enjoys in his administration is underscored by the fact that the programme continues to run in the state despite the country’s current declining economic state.
According to the governor, the programme offers a week-long package of events conceived to deliver an integrated plan of promotional and preventive service that are both cost-effective and useful for fostering maternal, newborn and child health in the society, noting that the administration remains committed to remitting its counterpart funds for the health programme in addition to providing a conducive environment for its successful implementation in the state.
The state’s commissioner for health, Dr. Sam Ngwu, commended institutional partners for their unrelenting commitment to rid the society of debilitating illnesses such as polio, asthma, among others.
Also, the Director of Public Health Services, Enugu State Ministry of Health, Dr. Okechukwu Osayi, said the one-week activities will include the dispensing of drugs, immunization and culinary instructions in open places such as schools, churches, hospitals, parks, and is free of charge.
Dr. Osayi thanked Governor Ugwuanyi for providing sufficient funds and other necessary logistics for the week-long programme and urged the people to avail themselves of the opportunity.
Representatives of the programme’s partners such as UNICEF’s Sir Ndu Anam and Barrister Emeka Eze of Rotary International, Enugu, District 940, reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that Nigeria remains free from polio and other childhood diseases.
