REPORTER: OBY ARINZE
Women battling fibroid in Anambra State are set to benefit from more affordable surgical treatment as the state government has announced plans to reduce the cost of fibroid surgery in government-owned hospitals to improve access to quality healthcare.
The Commissioner for Health, Doctor Afam Obidike, made the disclosure while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Doctor Obidike explained that the decision followed the successful completion of free fibroid surgeries for about sixty women who could not afford treatment in private hospitals, where the procedure costs about one point five million naira.
According to him, many of the beneficiaries had endured years of excessive monthly bleeding, severe pain and other complications associated with fibroid, while some required blood transfusions before surgery because their blood levels had dropped to dangerously low levels.
The Health Commissioner attributed the success of the intervention to the ongoing upgrade of general hospitals approved by the Anambra State House of Assembly and the recruitment of specialist consultants, including gynaecologists, to strengthen healthcare delivery across the state.
He noted that government hospitals now possess the capacity to carry out specialist procedures that were previously unavailable in many public health facilities, citing General Hospital, Okpoko, where at least fifteen successful fibroid surgeries were performed within one week.
Doctor Obidike further disclosed that although the programme initially targeted sixty-six women, more than one hundred and fifty patients registered, a development he described as a clear indication of the high demand for affordable specialist healthcare and the growing confidence of residents in government-owned hospitals.
Beyond fibroid treatment, the Commissioner revealed that the Ministry of Health in Anambra State also carried out more than seventy free cataract surgeries at the State Eye Care Centre, as well as over one hundred free hernia surgeries, surpassing the initial target for the programme.
He urged residents to enroll in the Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme to enjoy affordable and quality healthcare services, stressing that government’s priority was to save lives and ensure that no resident was denied treatment because of financial constraints.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr Noble Igwe, commended the Ministry of Health for expanding access to quality healthcare and urged it to sustain the delivery of affordable medical services to the people.
The committee also cleared the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs after considering its financial records before the panel.
