By Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
The Institute of Child Health (ICH), Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, has expressed its willingness to collaborate with the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health in improving the health and wellbeing of the children of the state suffering diseases that occurred as a result of ignorance, poverty and poor hygiene.
The institute’s Director and a consultant Pediatrician with the FETHA, Dr. Thecla Ezeonu, stated this during a visit by the management of the institute on the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezurike.
According to Ezeonu, ICH, FETHA is a tertiary institution for the provision and promotion of preventive and curative services with the mission of improving the health and wellbeing of children through research, education and public engagement, noting that the areas of interest and the vision of ICH, FETHA will require inter-disciplinary collaboration with researchers, healthcare leaders, clinicians, policymakers, patients and families, and community members.
She therefore solicited the collaboration of the ministry in effectively tackling the existing health needs of the children of Ebonyi State. Her words: “Sir, I strongly believe that these activities will be meaningful and achievable if the institute can collaborate effectively with the state Ministry of Health. This is basically why we are here. The ministry harbours a good knowledge of the tarrain and the existing health needs of the children of Ebonyi State and the institute is willing to join hands with the ministry to tackle these needs as maximally as possible. We hereby solicit for your unreserved support in any way you can, to foster effective collaboration of the Institute of Child Health, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, with the Ministry of Health, Ebonyi State.”
Responding, the Health Commissioner, Umezurike stressed that Child and Maternal survival goals/strategies were key to the health policies of the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Dave Umahi. He, therefore, pledged the readiness of the state government and his Ministry to support the ICH, FETHA in its activities and programmes. Umezurike lauded the idea of the establishment of Institute of Child Health in FETHA, saying it will go a long way in reducing Child’s mortality rate as well as administrative bottlenecks. He urged the management of FETHA to encourage researches in the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and cure of childhood diseases.
ICH FETHA was inaugurated on December 10, 2015 with the areas of interest in Primary health care and community development; Health at school and health promotion in schools, training and health promotion of children and their families; Child protection and promotion of children’s rights; integration of routine immunization with other high impact child survival interventions; improving the outcome of health of children through community based participatory researches; training on Child Health policy/Advocacy and fostering their applications as a basis for ultimately protecting and improving health.
