Developing The Health Sector,Anambra Govt, Group Sign MoU

Activities marking this year’s medical mission being embarked upon on an annual basis, by a team of health professionals from Realizing Inter-Disciplinary System of Excellence, RISE Health Corporation, RHC, a non-governmental organization, NGO based in the United States of America, USA, kicked off penultimate Tuesday with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, between the corporation and the Anambra State government.

Vice President of the Corporation and Chief Operating Officer of RISE Global Health Initiative, RGHI, Dr. Hien Tran signed on its behalf in the presence of the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of RISE Clinic Nigeria, RCN, Dr. Emeka Okeke, while Governor Willie Obiano, flanked by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Josephat Akabuike signed on behalf of the government.

After the MoU ceremony, the week-long events continued with the RISE medical team visiting Orumba General Hospital, Ajalli, followed by a sensitization seminar at the RISE Clinic headquarters, Adazi-Ani and the training of medical personnel at White Castle Hotel, Neni before rounding up with another visit to Ogbaru General Hospital, Ossomala.

Speaking on the occasion, Governor Obiano noted that in rural communities across Anambra State, where over 60 percent of the population resided, the challenges to healthcare delivery were so much that the burden of revamping the health system cannot be left for the public sector alone, hence the partnership, which would continue to foster vast opportunities for the improvement of healthcare delivery across the state.

Obiano explained that the essence of entering into this Public Private Partnership, PPP, between the state government and RISE Health Corporation, U.S.A was to enable the two partners jointly incorporate and manage a company known as the Anambra Business Coalition, ABC, a health and wellness management and investment group with plans to revamp the health system in a number of areas including: management, health information management, value chain management and healthcare financing.

Responding, the CEO of RISE Clinic Nigeria, RCN, Dr. Emeka Okeke explained that RGHI, was a charitable organization which has been working on health systems development in Nigeria since 2011 through its partnership with the Godwin and Patricia Okeke Foundation, GPOF, led by Chief Godwin Okeke and Lady Patricia Okeke of the GUO Transport company.

He said that since then RCN has created over 100 clinical and sub-clinical jobs in its rural setting, thereby addressing a key factor in healthcare disparity in the rural areas.

He said ABC’s initial efforts would focus primarily on strengthening Anambra’s health system through its hospital re-engineering project, which was a direct effort to scale the existing Integrated Healthcare Delivery model at RCN into two additional health systems in Anambra North and South Senatorial Districts, while RCN continued to serve Anambra Central zone

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