Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has approved the setup of 10 new dialysis centers, designating one for each of the 10 federal constituencies in the state.
Furthermore, he instructed the immediate commencement of recruitment and training for professionals to fulfill the staffing needs of the dialysis centers.
Eno announced on Monday at the Immanuel General Hospital, Eket, during the inauguration of the Enoch and Folu Adeboye Dialysis Centre donated by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
The governor, pointing out that the anticipated centers would be operational by June 2024, issued instructions for the deployment of pertinent personnel from state hospitals to the newly inaugurated dialysis center to ensure optimal utilization.
He said, ‘I am directing the Commissioner for Health and critical stakeholders of the state to ensure that they provide a dialysis centre in each federal constituency and guarantee me that between now and June 2024, those dialysis centres will be available and functional.’
‘I have already approved the deployment of staff to the centre. I had given the Commissioner for Health approval to look for qualified people to come and work here. I have also directed the Head of the Civil Service to work with the Ministry of Health and the Civil Service Commission to absorb them as quickly as possible so that we can have permanent staff here. We don’t want to have equipment here, yet we don’t have the manpower to operate them.’
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While advocating for extensive awareness on kidney-related ailments and preventive measures, the governor instructed the Ministry of Health to collaborate with the Ministry of Information and the Office of the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor for the sensitization effort.
The governor praised the collaborative effort of Pastor Enoch Adeboye and his wife Folu, partnering with the government through the church’s humanitarian arm, ‘His Love Foundation,’ to offer medical services to the residents of Akwa Ibom, especially those grappling with severe kidney diseases.
Describing the dialysis facility as a critical healthcare intervention, Eno encouraged other religious and business organizations to replicate such robust corporate social responsibility gestures, fostering partnerships with the government for the development of the state.
He added, ‘The huge investment here today speaks loudly to the fact that the Government needs to partner with the other layers of society to ensure that we advance development across sectors of our economy.’
‘This is pioneered by the church, and I also expect all of the people doing business in Akwa Ibom to rise to the occasion and partner with the State Government to provide facilities that will stand in their names and show that they are residents and doing business around these communities.’
‘Don’t give us money, but you can do what you have seen here today. We will give you the enabling environment, we will do the building, and we will provide the staff if you partner with us in your way.’
‘For me, this is a clarion call on all churches to come forth and be inspired by what we have seen here today. It is a step in the very right direction.’
Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, the RCCG Intercontinental Overseer for Christian Social Responsibility, earlier stated that the establishment of the center was driven by a sincere passion for humanity and the imperative to provide help to individuals afflicted by the scourge of kidney diseases.