“It is health that is the real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver”- Mahatma Gandhi.
No matter the kind of material wealth one may acquire but lack physical, mental and spiritual balance, such person is never considered a wealthy person. Of what use would material wealth be to an individual whose treasures are jeopardized by physical and mental imbalance. It is no surprise that our fore-bearers have borne such names as “Ndu ka Aku”(Health is better than riches), “Ndu bu Isi” (Life is more desirable than any other consideration) in recognition of the fact that nothing could be compared to health, not even riches. Of course mankind is in agreement that the real wealth is the total well-being of an individual.
It is in the realization of the fact that the economic well-being of any nation is directly proportional to the well-being of her citizens, responsible governments have taken health care delivery very seriously. There have been global shift in healthcare service delivery since the advent of primary health care in 1978. The approach to health related issues have equally evolved and expanded which has accommodated broader health issues rather than focusing on reproductive health. The scope has spanned into virtually all facets of health related issues including family planning, maternal health care, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, infectious diseases etc.
As a visionary leader, governor Ugwuanyi has paid more than a lip service to the issues of sustainable health care delivery in Enugu State. It is to his credit that a total revamp in the health sector has been recorded. Unarguably, Enugu State health sector today has been adjudged as one of the best in the country courtesy of governor Ugwuanyi’s sterling interventions.
For the past 6 years of the current administration, Governor Ugwuanyi has given serious facelift to the state’s health facilities. Most of the state health facilities has undergone infrastructural developments and upgrade. Evidence abound that governor Ugwuanyi upgraded Udi District Hospital and Poly Clinic Asata to General Hospitals after their rehabilitation. He started and completed the state-of the -art Enugu State Medical Diagnostic Center in Enugu, reconstructed Enugu State Infectious Disease Hospital formerly known as Colliery Hospital for isolation and treatment of patients with infectious diseases, intervened and integrated faith based rural health facilities into free maternal and child Health Programme, construction of Cottage Hospitals with isolation wings in Awgu, Oji River, Ogrute, Orba etc.
To ensure optimal health care delivery system in line with his administration’s policy, governor Ugwuanyi launched Universal Health Coverage which culminated in the massive construction of 7 units of Type 3 Primary Health Care Centre in 7 LGAs. Other health interventions include: construction of Specialist Hospital for the ESUT Teaching Hospital Igbo Eno to serve as College of Medicine.
Year 2020 would go down in the annals of the global community when the novel virus christened as COVID-19 shook the entire world like a thunderstorm. Interestingly, it exposed the high wired deception of government at all levels about their interventions in the health sector.
As a proactive leader, the administration of governor Ugwuanyi took the bull by the horn and set machinery in motion to contain the global pandemic in the state despite glaring economic challenges. He promptly mustered and released sum of N350 million to the state’s COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Rapid Response Team and further established Isolation and Treatment Centres for COVID-19 in Nsukka, ESUT Teaching Hospital and Parklane general hospital in Enugu. He followed it with the approval of welfare packages for the Frontline health workers as incentive to battle COVID-19. This gesture of the governor boosted the moral of the health workers during the emergency period.
Interestingly during the nation wide lock down to contain the spread of the Covid across the states, governor Ugwuanyi personally supervised all border areas to ensure that all extant restriction protocols are strictly adhered to by all relevant security personnel manning the borders.
The period of the pandemic also presented another unique challenge in the area of hunger as a result of the lockdown measures to contain the spread of the virus. As a humane leader governor Ugwuanyi ensured the distribution of palliatives to vulnerable groups, poorest of the poor, organizations, religious groups and other interest groups in the state. He granted tax relief and incentives to taxpayers in the state to further cushion the adverse effect of COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses especially among the ordinary citizens.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is a man of excellence. His quest to enthrone an enduring legacy in the health sector have received worldwide acclaim. We continue to pray for good health and safety of his family also. His trajectories in the health care sector will forever be appreciated by Ndi Enugu. Of course we understand and note that our state is in the hands of God always.
BIBIAN ANEKWE NEWS ADDED…”It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Written by
Jude Chijioke Achu
A Political Analyst
MEDIA TEAM MEMBER OF ENUGU DI N’AKACHUKWU MOVEMENT
