Health commissioner on fire * Fights TBA - BY JOSEPH OKON

The State Commissioner for Health Dr  EmemAbasi Bassey has described us unacceptable a situation where the Traditional Birth Attendants TBA’s took over the responsibilities of trained nurses’, midwives and professional birth attendants there-by increasing the rate of material and child death in the State.

The Commissioner stated this last week at the 7th Akwa Ibom State Council on health meeting which took place at governor’s office Annex with the theme “improved Maternal and Child health care through primary health care approach”.

The commissioner further said that the PHC directors are not doing enough to compliment the free health care for pregnant women and new born babies from 0 to 5 years of age, adding that a situation where a primary health care coordinators at Local Government Areas fail to do their job and when pregnant women goes to health centers they don’t find them, then they had to go to those unqualified birth attendants who are always there for them.

He said that a realistic approach must be taken to restore the confidence of pregnant women on the primary health care coordinators and let them see the need to stop patronizing the unqualified traditional birth attendants to reduce maternal maternity and child death in the state.

He called for a change of attitude by the PHC coordinator towards making the programme a success, and charge chairmen of local government councils and other development partners including the senior citizens to join hands in making  health centres the way  it should be and join the fight against maternal and child death in the State.

Dr Bassey specifically said that local government chairmen are not doing enough to support health care programmes in their local government area and impress upon them to see the need to begin to invest in the health sector.

He disclosed that a primary health care management board will soon be constituted once the state House of Assembly passed into law the executive bill that shall be forwarded to the house soon.

While presenting her report, the director, primary health centre for Etinan said that the free Medical treatment of the State government is only on newspapers, government magazines.

 Radio and televisions and is not being implemented in the State. She further questioned “where is the free medical treatment to pregnant women and children? I have not seen it. “ “government is only making noise on newspapers, television, radio and magazines , but we have not seen it” adding that the state government is the cause of high rate of maternal mortality and child death in the State.