BY JUMAI NWACHUKWU
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission (DSCHC), Dr. Isaac Akpoveta, has appealed to well-meaning individuals, organizations, and private health providers to partner with the Commission in delivering quality healthcare services to residents of hard-to-reach areas across the state.
Dr. Akpoveta made the appeal during a meeting with representatives of the Ogbugbudu and Igbinbiri communities, as well as the management of Toronto Hospital, at the commission’s headquarters in Asaba.
Expressing concern over the challenges faced by people living in remote communities where healthcare facilities and medical personnel are scarce, Dr. Akpoveta explained that the situation prompted the commission to introduce the Access to Finance Programme.
The initiative, he said, was designed to encourage private sector collaboration in expanding access to affordable and quality healthcare in underserved areas.
He noted that the meeting was aimed at exploring sustainable public-private partnership models that would help ensure vulnerable persons are not forced to risk their lives traveling long distances or incurring heavy costs to access medical care in urban centres.
Dr. Akpoveta further urged health workers posted to rural and riverine communities to remain dedicated to their duty posts. He also called on companies operating in such areas to invest in the health of their host communities as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He emphasized that only through stronger collaboration between government, the private sector, and community stakeholders can quality healthcare be made accessible to every Deltan, regardless of location.
