The National Coordinator of Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, Chief Sheriff Mulade, has charged the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to focus more on the development and upgrading of the state’s health sector so that COVID-19 cases can get their test results faster in order to save more lives.
Chief Mulade while speaking with newsmen, and expressed disappointment over the present deplorable condition of the state’s health facilities.
He lamented that Delta State has no reliable teaching hospital with standard equipment for proper medical tests, treatment and research, even when the state was privileged to produce two medical doctors, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and the incumbent. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, as governors.
On public expectations from the health sector of state, Comrade Chief Mulade, who is the Ibe-Sorimowei of ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, said the administrations of Dr. Uduaghan and now Dr. Okowa, ought to have positioned Delta State as first in Nigeria’s health system with the best medical facilities that would attract referrals but regretted that the the reverse has been the case.
Speaking on reported COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state, the NGO boss said: “The global health emergency has exposed the poor state of our health system as the blood samples of suspected COVID-19 cases from Delta State are taken to Irrua in Edo State for testing and confirmation, with test results usually taking 3 or more days to arrive because Delta State does not have any laboratory for COVID-19 test.”
The CEPEJ’s National Coordinator noted with sadness that the election of two medical doctors as governors for two consecutive tenures of eight years each has failed to address the perennial health challenges of Delta State.
He therefore, urged Dr Okowa to focus more on improving and upgrading the health system of the state by rehabilitating failed structures, and acquiring more medical equipment with updated systems in the 25 Local Government Areas of the state; to make medical treatments accessible to all Deltans without stress.
Chief Mulade noted that in doing so, Governor Okowa would be able write his name in the history book of the state, adding that it would be disappointing for him to complete his two tenures of 4 years each without making any significant impact on the State’s health sector.