Tejiri Ebikeme/Francis Sadhere
Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has commissioned the new fully equipped 100 bed Maternal and Child Care (MCC) complex at the Warri Central Hospital.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Governor stated that women and children are the bed rock of any civilized society as women are the mothers of our generation whilst children are our legacy and future.
But he lamented that; “Unfortunately, women and children are very susceptible to wide variety of medical conditions and diseases.”
He said his administration places very high premium on the health and lives of Deltans and is very passionate about safe-guarding the health of all women and children in the state.
According to him; “Our unflinching resolve to preserve the lives and health of our women and children led us to establish the free Maternal Health Progremme in 2007 and the free Under-Five Health Care in 2010.”
Governor Uduaghan also said; “This centre we are commissioning today has to the capacity to accommodate 100 patients at any time. Once we are through with its commissioning and this centre becomes operational, we shall with all certainty be stepping into a new level in the annals of maternal and child care in the history of health care delivery in Delta State.”
“With this new centre, we would be better poised to achieve the MDGs as related to maternal and child health care by the year 2015,” the Governor said.
The State Health Commissioner, Dr. Joseph Otumara explained that; “This Centre was built and designed to provide tertiary level health care and to handle very difficult obstetrics and pediatric cases. It is planned to be a referral centre and has the equipment and staff to function effectively at the tertiary level.”
Medical Director of Warri Central Hospital, Dr. Kingsley Agholor said that the story of the MCC began with the introduction of the free Maternal Programme of the Delta State Government in 2007 and with the subsequent addition f the new under five programme.
“This facility has six standards delivery beds with capacity to expand to nine leading to the creation of delivery suites which we did not have previously. Additionally, the facility has two state of the art theatres as compared to only one in the former facility,” he stated.
The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, assist Governor Uduaghan in cutting the tape at the ceremony.
