Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra has reiterated the commitment of his administration to provide quality healthcare services to the people of the state through private partnership.
Obiano gave the assurance on Sunday in Akwa at the inauguration of 32 slice brand CT scan owned by Eldorado Diagnostic and Research Centre.
The governor was represented at the occasion by Dr Emmanuel Okafor, the Director of Public Healthcare in the state Health Ministry.
He said that his administration was willing to encourage private sector participation in government health programmes.
“There is a programme we are packaging, which we call “saving one million lives.”
“One of the objectives of the programme is to ensure that private health facilities are integrated in the state government’s health programmes.
“The state government will use its coercive powers to ensure that private hospitals make their returns, data wise,” said the governor,’’ Obiano said.
He said that an off-shore and on-shore system, which would enable health workers work in “hard-to reach’’ areas for two weeks before being replaced by another set of health workers, would soon commence.
The governor said that the system would commence soon after the renovation and upgrading of 63 primary health centres across the state.
He added that no fewer than 400 persons had been employed in various cadres to beef up the staff strength in primary health centres and hospitals.
The governor said that the CT scan would bring quality health services; diagnosis and treatment near to the people and lauded Eldorado group the initiative.
He assured that government would continue to provide enabling environment for private hospitals in the state to thrive.
Earlier, Dr Izuchukwu Okeke, Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Awka branch, appealed to governments at all levels to create the enabling environment for private healthcare services to thrive.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CT scan is one of the latest radiological diagnostic equipment capable of seeing inside the body from head to toe using multiple images. (NAN)