From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
One of the Africa’s leading civil society organisations known as Connected Development (CODE), has called on the Rivers State government to address the deficit witnessed in the Primary Healthcare Centres in the state.
Rivers State Lead, CODE, Evelyn Williams, made the call yesterday, in Port Harcourt, saying that the appalling state of primary healthcare centres and schools in communities impede health and economic growth in the rural areas.
Williams said: “As one of the states in the Niger Delta, a major region for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, Rivers State has suffered prolonged conflict resulting from the negative impact of oil exploration and tension between host communities and oil-producing companies.
“In 2021, with the support from Ford Foundation, CODE initiated the second phase of the project. “Empowering oil-rich communities for improved service delivery in Rivers State.
“The programme was aimed at amplifying the demand of oil-rich communities through reinforcing our evidence-based advocacy strategy.
“After an appraisal to ascertain the state of social infrastructure in the region, the report shows that the primary Healthcare centres (PHCs) in Rivers State, are in appalling conditions capable of undermining or sabotaging the wellbeing of rural dwellers and consequently the local economy.”
CODE said some of the projects, particularly primary schools that were built during the Chibuike Ameachi-led administration have been abandoned.
“CODE is calling on the Rivers State government to address the personnel and infrastructural gaps in the hope of positively impacting health outcome and the education profile of the state.