Nnewi JPDC takes healthcare campaign to Onitsha Catholic faithful
By Uzo Ugwunze
The Nnewi branch of Justice Development and Peace Commission (JPDC) has sensitised scores of Catholic faithful at St Jude Catholic Church, Onitsha, Anambra state through its Ward Development Committee (WDC).
WDC Chairman for Woliwo, Mrs. Ijeoma Okafor said the exercise was targeted at intensifying public awareness and monitoring of community primary health centres for effective healthcare delivery to the people.
She stressed the need for them to embrace and support the JDPC program for sound health and free medical care, just as she reminded them that the project was a grassroot medical outfit established to curtail their health problems.
Okafor further disclosed that the introduction of Anambra State Health Insurance Agency, ASHIA) by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has helped the poor man a lot in payment of hospital bills stressing that pregnant women now have free ante natal and free treatment for all.
According to her, community CSOs work under the Spark II intervention, working with its State CSO partners, including Community Empowerment Network, COMEN, Civil Rights Concerns, CRC and Social and Integral Development Centre, SIDEC, with support from the International Budget Partnership (IBP).
She said, “Our role is primarily to facilitate community participation, strengthen the capacity of community structures such as the WDCs, support community monitoring of Primary Healthcare Centres, document service gaps and connect identified issues with the appropriate health authorities for action.
“JDPC Nnewi is not simply providing a medical outreach; we are using the outreach as an opportunity to bring communities closer to their Primary Health Centres (PHCs), understand the barriers they face and strengthen accountability around maternal and child healthcare.
“The motive of JDPC is to improve access to and utilisation of quality primary healthcare, particularly maternal and child health services.
“Spark II operates across 24 communities and 64 PHCs, with a strong emphasis on community voice and accountability.
“Through activities such as this, communities can identify practical challenges affecting healthcare, whether relating to availability of services, information, referral, health-seeking behaviour, drugs, equipment or responsiveness, and these concerns can be documented and followed up with the responsible health authorities.
“The ultimate objective is not just to conduct a one-day medical activity, but to contribute to stronger, more responsive and community-centred PHC systems.”
On allegation of going beyond its bounds, Nnewi, she explained that, “Spark II is a community-based accountability and health-system-strengthening intervention, and its activities are implemented in selected communities across different Local Government Areas where an existing health outreach is taking place, stating that Spark II does not seek to duplicate or take over services from any establishment.
“Rather, we support the community to participate, identify its healthcare needs, link people with available services and generate evidence on issues that may require attention beyond the outreach itself.
“In the case of Onitsha South, the outreach is therefore part of the broader Spark II approach of strengthening the relationship between communities and PHCs. The fact that another outreach may exist does not mean that all healthcare needs have been addressed.
“Our interest is to ensure that communities are empowered to understand, demand and monitor the healthcare services available to them, while working collaboratively with government health structures and other stakeholders.
“In practical terms, Spark II is about moving from “an outreach that was conducted” to “what happens after the outreach?”
“We want the community to remain engaged with its PHC, the WDC to understand its oversight role, health workers to hear community concerns, and unresolved issues to reach the appropriate authorities.
“That is where the value of JDPC Nnewi and the CSO partnership under Spark II comes in,” she noted.
Expressing satisfaction with the sensitisation held after the morning mass at St. Jude church, a woman, Mrs perpetual Umeh, thanked the Governor for free medical care through Anambra State Health Insurance Agency, ((ASHIA) and JDPC Nnewi, for bringing the good news to them adding that it is the first time she is hearing of the efforts of JDPC towards good healthcare delivery within the area.
Also in her reaction, Mrs Veronica Okpala, lauded Soludo for introduction of ASHIA which allows for free check up and medication to all including ante natal to pregnant mothers.
“With this free medication by Soludo, whoever that curse him, it is back to sender because you have scores who are sick but can not afford hospital bills,” she added.
