In Rivers , US-based health mission tackles glaucoma, cataract

  *Amaechi procures over N1bn HIV/AIDS drugs

Dr Tosin Smith examining an eye patient while Rivers State Commissioner for Health,   Dr Sampson Parker looks on at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt, venue of the health mission

 

 

HEALTHCARE in Rivers State has  received a boost with the  recent visit by a team of United States-based experts to treat people with glaucoma and cataract eye problems and render other sundry medical services.
 The state commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker told reporters at the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital, Port Harcourt on Monday that the US-based health mission–Hospitals for Humanity –  who are in the state on the invitation of  the state governor and chairman Nigerian Governor’s Forum, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was part of Amaechi’s specialist manpower development initiative instituted as a programme to enhance healthcare delivery in the State.

He said the Amaechi administration through the programme gets medical experts from all over the world to work with Rivers State Government medical personnel to deliver  top-quality healthcare. 
 According to him, the foreign medical experts would provide quality medical care particularly for glaucoma and cataract patients.
  He also said the administration recently procured over N1 billion HIV/AIDS drugs for patients in the state.
Parker said: “It’s part of this Amaechi administration’s goal to improve manpower and that is why when the governor came on board, there is this programme we instituted in the ministry of health called the specialist manpower development and on that programme we’ve done a couple of mission, that is where we have to bring in specialists from all over the world to come and work with our own persons. You know, we have had  previous missions, such as the heart and knee replacement before   this ‘Hospitals for Humanity’ came for the ophthalmology and heart . So it was easy for us to key into their programme”.
 The collaboration, according to him, provides opportunity for sharing experience between the two groups, stressing that Ophthalmology would be greatly improved in the state with the health mission.
 “It is an opportunity too to upgrade our equipment because the workers here are being exposed to latest equipment and they come with some which they are going to leave behind and some we have to procure with their guidance.

“We know that we are tackling HIV/AIDS and malaria now like the rest of the country and today, we are at the forefront in our fight against HIV/AIDS and malaria in the comity of states of Nigeria and recently we’ve procured over a billion Naira worth of HIV/AIDS commodities and in fact His Excellency, has told me that I should please give some to our neighbouring states so that they too can attend to their problems there”.
 An Ophthalmologist and member of the Health Mission, Dr Tosin Smith in an interview with journalists acknowledged that the Rivers State Government truly intended to meet the healthcare needs of the people of the state by securing their services, saying that her team would work in collaboration with medical personnel in the state to provide healthcare services for the people.
  “I think Rivers State has taken ownership of the needs of their population and have not only just invited us but they followed through with the invitation to bring us here to make sure that this mission is a success. “ She said their aim was to improve the current state of healthcare in the state and commended Governor Amaechi for the current quality healthcare delivery in the state.
  Also speaking, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Amaechi, Mr David Iyofor noted that the current health mission in the state again demonstrates Governor Amaechi’s passion for free, quality healthcare delivery to the people of the state.
“This current mission is all part of that policy of providing good quality health care for Rivers people and governor will not stop. He will keep on looking for new ways, new means to deliver better quality health care to Rivers people” he said.