Zonal Hospital, Bori management has sought assistance from Tai Local Government Council in tackling the various problems the hospital is facing, as part of measures to enhance healthcare services delivery to people living in Tai and other nearby areas.
The request was made Tuesday during a courtesy call made to the Executive Chairman of Tai Local Government Area, Hon. Mbakpone Okpe, by the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Agumagu Math Ikechi, and other hospital management officials.
During the visit, the Medical Director officially presented the Letter of Induction to the Chairman, which made the latter a “Friend of the Hospital” due to his contributions to the health sector.
While briefing the Chairman about the problems faced by the hospital, the Medical Director mentioned problems such as operational, managerial and staff problems that the hospital is encountering.
Chairman Okpe responded with gratitude to the hospital management, stating that the award was an indication of the friendly relations between the hospital and the people of Tai Local Government Area.
However, he made it clear that the task of financing, managing, and administering Zonal Hospitals lies with the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board and other state health organizations and not with the local governments.
As per him, the task of managing Primary Health Care Centers lies with the local governments in question, while Zonal Hospitals are managed by the state government.
The Chairman urged the hospital management to reach out first to the proper state agencies dealing with funding, employment, and administration of the hospital to find long-lasting solutions to the problems at hand.
Despite this drawback in his jurisdiction, Okpe pledged that his administration would be ready to offer assistance within its capacity because quite a lot of people from Tai Local Government get their medical services from Zonal Hospital, Bori.
He encouraged the management to submit a detailed request outlining areas where the council could intervene after exhausting the appropriate channels with the relevant state authorities.
The meeting ended with both parties reaffirming their commitment to strengthening collaboration aimed at improving healthcare delivery and ensuring better access to quality medical services for the people of Tai Local Government Area and surrounding communities.
