The Kennedy Okonkwo Foundation has pledged to ensure elimination of maternal and neonatal deaths during childbirth in the Ojoto community.

Chairman of the Foundation,Dr Kennedy Okonkwo, said this at the commencement of an ultra modern Primary Healthcare Centre project in Ojoto, Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra on Wednesday.

He said that the project, when completed, would increase the demand for healthcare in Ojoto at the primary level, reduce emergency response time and expand the scope of services to the people.

Mr Okonkwo said the upgraded clinic would have 100 bedspaces for all gender and ages, an ambulance bay, maternal wards, diagnostic centre and laboratory.

He said the PHC project of the Kennedy Okonkwo Foundation was in line with the Public-Private Community Partnership initiative of the Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration as the government could not do it alone.

According to him, the mission is to help out people, make direct impact on their lives by bringing quality, effective and speedy healthcare close to them.

“No woman should die during or as a result of childbirth, every baby deserves to live and should be born in a decent place, our nurses should live in decent quarters and there should be doctors on duty here. We started this journey 18 months ago with the renovation of nurses and staff quarters, equipping the laboratory with x-ray machines and installation of solar powered energy to make them functional. We are building a 100 bed space hospital with modern facilities including accident/emergency section, ambulance bay and equipment that would help the place render wider and better services,” he said.

Mr Okonkwo who refused to mention the cost of the project said he preferred to estimate the cost through its benefits of lives saved, jobs created, and medical students trained, noting that life could not be quantified in monetary terms.

Also speaking, immediate past President General of Umuoji, Uchenna Anozie, said that the Health Centre was both significant and strategic for the community, adding that the upgrade was a welcome development.

Mr Anozie, who said he was born in the hospital during the 1960s, added that people would no longer go to teaching hospitals in Nnewi or spend heavily on nearby private hospitals in the community to access basic and quality healthcare.

“I am happy that our illustrious son, Dr Kennedy Okonkwo, has decided to carry out a massive intervention in the hospital by bringing down the old structures and erecting a new one, we have had intervention from our people in the past but not in this magnitude.

On his part, the traditional ruler of Ojoto, HRH Gerald Mbamalu, said the project would go a long way to addressing the development needs of the people.

Mr Mbamalu said he was happy that Mr Okonkwo decided to elevate the development level of Ojoto by undertaking the hospital projects among others in the community in his time.

He said, “I am happy that all these are happening in my time, I never saw this when I gave him the traditional title of ‘Ifeabata’ which means, Light Has Come and truly light has come to Ojoto, we are being elevated to be among communities. Kennedy Okonkwo is saying he wants to use this hospital as a memorial for his late father, we are happy and proud of him.’’

(NAN)