The Rivers Government on Wednesday threatened to close down
hospitals that were not adequately staffed and equipped.
Dr Sampson Parker, the Commissioner for
Health, issued the threat in Port Harcourt at a press briefing.
“Any hospital that is below the
required medical standard will be closed down, whether it is owned by
government or private individuals.
“Rivers State will no longer tolerate
quackery; there is no way only two doctors can service a secondary health centre,”
he said.
Parker said that the health sector in
the state was in poor condition when he assumed office five years ago.
He said that patients at Braithwaite
Memorial Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt, received drips on the floor, while
instruments at Churchill hospital were boiled to sterilise them.
The commissioner said he was ashamed
when he visited some hospitals in the state.
He said that the previous
administration in the state built hospitals that were not equipped.
Parker said that Gov. Chibuike Amaechi
had made the Ministry of Health ministry `a frontline’ ministry in the state,
adding that the government would focus attention on the health sector.
He said that Amaechi’s administration
had turned the fortunes of the health sector around with 350 primary healthcare
centres and 35 General Hospitals.
He said that more than 400,000 persons patronized
the state five-year-old Free Medical Healthcare Programme.
Parker said the ministry had some
challenges and commended health workers in the state for working in spite of
the challenges.
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