By Cross Udo
The Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr Egbe Ayuk, has commended the National Association of Seadogs for building a new borehole at the Idundu Primary Healthcare Centre in Akpabuyo Local Government Area to meet the water needs of the centre and residents of the community.
As part of its quarterly meeting held in Calabar, the association observed that the health facility lacked portable water and decided to embark on the project.
According to Dr Joseph Oteri, the International President of the Association, also known as NAS Capn, the initiative is part of the broader efforts of the NAS Medical Mission to enhance healthcare delivery and provide essential services to remote communities.
“During our quarterly meetings, we identify a project in a remote community and give support in critical areas of lack. We had a medical mission in the community, attending to over 300 dental and ophthalmology care patients.
“In the case of this Idundu Primary Healthcare Centre, we identified a borehole that was not functioning. We tried to revive it, but it was not working; we now had to sink a new borehole. This project is for humanity’s sake,” Oteri said.
However, during the unveiling of the water project, the Commissioner for Health, Ayuk, said, “The components of a PHC include water supply, not only to the facility but also to the community. So, if you come to a facility with the best care and no water, it demeans what you have in the facility.”
He called on other organisations and agencies to emulate this partnership model, stressing that collaborative efforts are vital in addressing the health challenges faced by communities across Cross River State.
“We, therefore, praise NAS for what they have done and urge other well-meaning organisations to key in. The opportunities to provide services are paramount, and water supply is essential, too. We encourage other stakeholders to go around our PHCs and other health facilities to identify and fix what is lacking.
“This borehole will not only service the PHC, but other nearby residents will also be coming here to use it. The community members are the real facility owners; do not allow it to fail,” Ayuk added.
Similarly, the Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA), Dr Vivien Otu, noted that the Idundu PHC has been penned down for renovation, adding that the funds for the borehole component would be channeled to other needs of the facility.
She said, “I am delighted that the association chose to do this project in Idundu PHC because it is one of our high-performing PHCs in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of the state. Their anti-natal record is quite large, as is their delivery and immunisation record.
“The Governor of the state, Prince Bassey Otu, has signed a World Bank project where we will be renovating 82 facilities, and Idundu has been captured, and there is a lot to do. The fund for borehole in this facility will be redirected to other areas.
“So, we thank the National Association of Seadogs for this relief. We expect these corporate social responsibilities from organisations because the government cannot do everything. We have 1,045 facilities- PHCs and health posts in the state.
“More than 70 percent of these facilities are dilapidated. We need corporate bodies, religious bodies, and individuals to assist in bringing them back to life. One person cannot do it alone. I urge the workers here to maintain the facility to service the centre and the immediate community.”
Also, the Clan Head of Idundu, His Royal Highness Archibong Archibong, commended NAS for the gesture.
He said, “I want to thank the National Association of Seadogs for their humanitarian activities. We are grateful to them for deeming us fit to benefit from their medical mission and the borehole in this PHC situated in Ubong-Atai clan.”
