Imo inaugurates Emergency Response Centre, receives two ambulances from FG

The Federal Government has donated two equipped ambulances to the newly inaugurated Imo Emergency Health Response Centre, located in Owerri, capital city of Imo State.

At the event which was held at the premises of centre at the weekend, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said any investment put into the health sector would translate in folds, urging other states to emulate the Imo’s example in establishing a centre that would takes care of immediate health needs of any sick person before he is transferred to the hospital for adequate treatment.

Adewole, who expressed the readiness for the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) to partner the centre, advocated for proper equipment in place at health facilities to ensure saving of more lives.

He said there was need to develop the health sector to ensure socio-economic effects. His words: Most countries that have recorded improvement in health sector did so because they invested. Every investment we make will bring greater returns. If there is investment of one dollar in immunization, the return is $16. So there is loot of gain in putting money in health.’’

Speaking, the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, said the state government was conscious emergency attention and treatment of a sick person before adequate treatment, hence the centre. He regretted that there were many ‘walking corpses’ in the country, which required more heath attention.

Okorocha, however, called on the Federal Government to upgrade the Imo University Teaching Hospital, Orlu, to be known as Federal Teaching Hospital, said the state government was grateful to the Federal Government for the donation, adding that his administration would continue placing priority to the health and welfare of the people.

His words: ‘’We have many walking corpses in Nigeria because we have no access to health care information. What is important is more health care information. There is need to have campaign where the people need to go at any particular time.’’

In his speech, the Deputy Country Representative, the United Nations Population Fund, Mr. Eugene Konya, who supported the establishment of the centre, said the agency would give necessary support equipment to it by making available essential life saving drugs.

He said Imo is regarded as one of the states with health as priority and above national average, based on the assessment indicators. The Commissioner for Health, Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ngozi Njoku, a lawyer, said the centre has capacity to train people, with basic life saving support programme in place.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, Chike Okafor, chairing the ceremony, said the centre was the offshoot of the Health at -Your-Door- Step, floated by the Okorocha administration.