By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have donated vehicles, equipment, and various training items to the Enugu State Colleges of Nursing at Park Lane, Enugu, and Awgu, lauding Governor Peter Mbah’s bold and strategic investments in health system development in the state.
The items donated include two 15-seater Toyota Hiace commuter buses, two Mikano diesel generators, 145 desktop computers, five suction machines, eight sets of 3D electronic boards, 13 Sharp three-in-one photocopiers, and numerous laboratory, training, nursing, and hostel equipment and accessories, among others.
Speaking at the hand-over ceremony at Government House, Enugu, the WHO Country Director/Head of Mission Nigeria, Dr. Pavel Ursu, said the donations followed a comprehensive infrastructure readiness assessment conducted by WHO on the Enugu State College of Nursing, Park Lane Campus, and the Enugu State College of Nursing, Awgu Campus, in collaboration with the State Government, as part of the Equipment Support for Health Training Institutions (ESHTI) initiative.
He said Mbah had set a commendable example in health system investment, listing several remarkable interventions of the administration in health sector development.
“WHO commends your administration for the bold and strategic investment in health system strengthening. Under your leadership, Enugu State has made remarkable investments in health infrastructure expansion and primary healthcare revitalization,” he said, listing the construction of 260 Type 2 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across all political wards, solarisation of health facilities, and the ongoing construction of the quaternary Enugu International Hospital, which has the potential to position the State as a medical tourism destination.
He cited the digital transformation of health facilities by the Mbah government, naming the digitisation of PHCs and secondary health facilities, equipping of over 360 health facilities with tablets, internet, and Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, and the institutionalization of real-time data dashboards for clinical and operational monitoring.
“These efforts are expected to reduce patient wait times, improve quality of care, and enable evidence-based decision-making,” Dr. Ursu noted.
He equally commended Mbah for his investment in human resources for health through the approval for recruitment of 2,200 health workers across all cadres, with 450 already onboarded, as well as for the administration’s support to health training institutions through accreditations, approval of National and Higher National Diplomas, and integration of the schools into the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) portal, among others.
In his remark, FCDO Nigeria Health Advisor and representative at the ceremony, Dr. Ebere Anyachukwu, praised the governor’s efforts in transforming the state’s health system.
“We have been a key supporter, and we have also been observing the efforts that Enugu State has been making to transform health under your leadership. That is why we are proud to have partnered with Enugu State and the World Health Organization to provide this support, and we hope that this will strengthen your efforts to improve the quantity, quality, and effectiveness of the health workforce in Enugu State,” he stated.
Speaking, Gov. Mbah, while conveying the profound gratitude of the state to WHO and FCDO, said the donations would help in realising his administration’s vision to eradicate poverty and grow the state’s economy seven-fold.
“We know that all that will be contingent on the well-being of our people, and as they say, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. So, this donation is fit for purpose.
“You have done all the gap analysis and identified where it hurts us most. And it is quite auspicious because it is also happening at a time when we have been targeting to train at least 3,000 healthcare professionals annually here in Enugu State. So, these tools will strengthen these training institutions and also improve our standards,” he said.
The governor, however, assured that his administration was not ready to rest on its oars, as it was set to construct more hostels and classrooms in the various campuses of the State College of Nursing, including the one in Oji River.
He added that the government was completing two new six-floor blocks at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital to provide world-class healthcare to the people of the state.
In his remark, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health Matters, Dr. Yomi Jaye, described the WHO and FCDO’s donations as an endorsement of the transformation of the state’s nursing training institutions, which the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria had almost written off before the coming of the Mbah administration.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Gov. Mbah (in red tie) and his guests, watched by officials, exchanging souvenirs at the event. In the background are the vehicles.
