A group, Civil Societies in Malaria, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has charged communities in Anambra State to take ownership of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in their domain by protecting their facilities from vandals.
The State Coordinator, Chioma Okeke, who gave the charge in Awka during press briefing on COVID-19 Response Mechanism/Resilient and Sustainable system for health (C19RM/RSSH) project, said the call was necessary following cases of attacks on certain facilities in some communities in the state.
She said, “For example, the safety tank in Umudioka collapsed partly because of the substandard materials used in constructing the stand.
“At another PHC, after repairing their borehole, the sumo and cables were vandalised. But fortunately, the suspect returned the items after threats from the community and has since been restored.”
Okeke further urged stakeholders, including government, Presidents-General and traditional rulers not to allow their personal interests interfere with the progress of the community members.
“When politics is introduced in health related matters, it’s the people who are direct beneficiaries that will suffer most. In the event of any problem, it should be amicably resolved so the progress of PHCs won’t be hampered,” she added.
Also speaking, State Coordinator, TB Network, Ifeyinwa Unachukwu said the group’s intensified advocacy contributed to the government’s recent decision to recruit more workers in the PHCs after several years.