From: Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Government has reiterated that its health policy was holistic and targeted at making health care available, accessible and affordable in all parts of the state.
Deputy Governor John Jonah stated this in Yenagoa, during the 10th Year anniversary of the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital,Okolobiri (NDUTH) with the theme, “Tertiary Health Care Delivery in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospect.”
He said that the reviewed health policy of the state had gulped investments in health infrastructural development in the eight local government areas of the state.
Jonah noted that though some of the projects were at various levels of completion, the state government was committed to ensuring that health care was available for all Bayelsans.
According to him, in a bid to make health care available to all Bayelsans, the state government flagged off the State Health insurance Scheme which is recording a huge success.
“The restoration government has invested so much infrastructural development across the state. Notably is the Bayelsa State Specialists Hospital, Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre and the referral hospitals in various local Government areas of the State. They will soon be commissioned and put to use. We have established the Health Insurance Scheme make health care available, accessible and affordable in all parts of the State. This is another demonstration that the restoration government development agenda is holistic and health of all the residents in Bayelsa is also a priority” he said.
The State Health Commissioner, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu noted the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital has contributed to the training of indigent nurses and doctors with over 35 of them employed by the State Government.
He said the NDUTH has become a centre of medical excellence adding that it remained the hospital of choice in Bayelsa and beyond.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chief Medical Director of the NDUTH, Prof. Dimie Ogoina, disclosed that the institution, which was upgraded to a Teaching Hospital in 2007, had trained over 5000 Doctors and recorded over 200,000 out patients and 35,000 in-patients.
“The NDUTH is currently the only state owned tertiary health facility in Bayelsa established in September, 2007 with a mandate to provide specialist health care, train health manpower and conduct health research. Over the last decade, we are proud to have significantly contributed to healthcare delivery and medical education in the Niger Delta.”
He however noted that though the successes achieved in the last ten years of the existence of the NDUTH has redefined the future of health care delivery in Bayelsa and the Niger Delta region “the institution is faced with issues of shortage of manpower, shortage of equipments and erratic power failures.”