….As bill passes 2nd reading
By Ignatius Okorocha
Disturbed by the glaring absence of federal health institution in the old Okigwe zone in Imo state, the Senate on Wednesday fast tracked a Bill to establish a Federal Medical Centre in Okigwe.
This is even as the Bill for an Act to establish a Federal Medical Centre Okigwe and it’s management and administration scaled second reading on the floor of the Senate.
In his lead debate, sponsor of the Bill, Senator Frank Chukwuma Ibezim ( Imo North) said he was moved by the cries of his constituents comprising women and children that are in dare need of well- equipped healthcare centres to proposed the bill.
According to Sen. Ibezim,” This move for the establishment of the Federal Medical Centre is therefore informed by the need to bridge the exiting gap between primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare delivery in Imo state and Nigeria as a whole.
“The gap between primary, secondary and specialist healthcare in Nigeria is widening.
“There is no seamless transition from one to the other due to a number of factors. The factors include accessibility to medical facilities, affordability of medicare as well as inadequate medical personnel at primary and secondary healthcare levels.”
Continuing, the Lawmaker noted that communicable diseases have continued to ravage many Nigerian communities due to distance between the communities and tertiary healthcare institutions.
“Patients cannot access specialist hospitals where their ailments can be properly diagnosed and adequate treatment given.
This unfortunate situation has also compounded the challenge of maternal and infant mortality.
” Densely populated urban and rural communities are worst hit. Their poor economic situation make them to resort to patronizing private hospitals near impossible.”
He further explained,” The Federal Medical Centre, like it’s counterparts around the world,is envisaged as a multidisciplinary space for treatment, research,harnessing science and developing innovative means of tackling the numerous health challenges bedeviling the nation.”
Sen Ibezim added that the Federal Medical Centre Okigwe when established, would provide services in specialized areas like Neuro-surgery, Cardiology, Urology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, internal Medicine, Radiotherapy, Ear Nose and Throat Treatment etc.
