Enugu Restates its Commitment to Healthcare Delivery.
October 3, 2006

Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State stated this during the formal flag-off ceremony of accelerated and integrated measles campaign for the South East Zone at Okpara Square, Enugu.

Governor Nnamani expressed happiness at the effort and support given to the State by the development partners and donor agencies, not just on immunization programme but also in primary health-care delivery in the State.

He acknowledged the interest shown by members of the National Assembly on the immunization programme and expressed the hope that the Enugu State House of Assembly would, in the same vein, pursue vigorously the immunization programme.

In his words, "I must acknowledge the interest of the senators and members or the Federal House of Representatives in the area of immunization. 1 hope that members of the Enugu State House of Assembly are also pursuing this programme with such vigour and interest."

The Governor expressed the hope that the integrated measles campaign would mark the state's continued effort at sustaining immunization programme so as to make the programme more acceptable to the people.

Said he: "We hope that this integrated measles campaign would signal our continued effort to sustain immunization, for immunization to become part of our culture, to become part of our habit."

He thanked the development partners, donor agencies and organizers of the programme as well as other stakeholders for a successful campaign. He also congratulated the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Festus Uzor, for his hardwork and in organizing and packaging the programme.

In his speech, a member of the Federal House of Representatives Committee on Health, Hon Jeff Oginika, described Enugu State as a pace-setter in the areas of health-care delivery and infrastructural development.

Hon. Oginika noted that the choice of Enugu as the state for the flag-off of the programme in the South East zone was not by accident but based on the fact that the state had a health-friendly Governor who had set a model of an excellent health-care programme in Nigeria. He stated that Enugu was known for excellence, adding that the flag-off would succeed just like every other thing in the state.

"The selection of Enugu is not by accident but because the state has a governor who had maintained excellence in all he does.. . You have set a model in health care... I call on other states to corne to Enugu and learn about health-care," he said.

He said that the National Assembly was working very hard and would do all in its power to ensure the success and sustenance of the programme even when the donor agencies must have gone.

In his speech, the Senate Committee Chairman on Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator (Dr.) Bode Olowoporoku, called on the National Assembly and other stakeholders to ensure that the programme was sustained, adding that efforts should be made by the National Assembly to make a legislation that would give full backing to the immunization programme.

Earlier, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Festus Uzor, had described immunization generally as the foremost measure in preventive healthcare and the most effective method of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, especially in reducing the childhood mortality rate.

He noted that the initiative to protect the relevant age group against measles through accelerated aggressive vaccination was a global one, adding that measles infections accounts for about 40% of all childhood mortalities arising from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Dr. Uzor announced that measles vaccines would be administered to all children between the ages of 9 months to 15 years in Enugu from 3rd October to 9th October 2006 in the 862 designed immunization posts in the state.

The Commissioner said that about 1.4 million young people were expected to be immunized within the seven days period of the exercise in the state.

The Commissioner assured that all arrangements had been concluded for the smooth conduct of the exercise, including management of the attendant waste materials in all the wards in the State.

Dr. Uzor commended Governor Nnamani for providing the needed financial support at all levels, as well as ensuring the early physical availability of the state and local government area components for the activity.