CR PHC 72hrs Makeover Challenge: Betta Edu seeks ways to fast-track facilities upgrade

By Kelvin Obambon

With barely a year left for her stewardship as the director general, Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, CRSPHCDA, Dr Betta Edu is seeking ways to fast-track the upgrading of most dilapidated primary health centers across the state.

The desire to see health centers in the 18 LGAs to be adjudged most deplorable get total makeover within 72hrs led her to hold a round-table meeting with designated online news media platforms and key social media influencers to create robust awareness on the initiative.

The meeting which took place on Monday at the CRSPHCDA's conference hall, Moore Road, was attended by owners and representatives of major online news outfits in the state.

The initiative, according to the DG, is borne out of the desire to ignite a change that will be a reference point for other states in the country, and is based essentially on volunteerism.

Dr Edu said that the role of the media is to create awareness on the Cross River Primary Healthcare Centre seventy two hours (CR PHC 72hrs) makeover challenge, so as to get people, especially youths, community leaders, NGOs, CSOs and international partners who will voluntarily contribute labour, advice and resources to help in the upgrading of at least one dilapidated health center in each of the 18 LGAs of the state.

Continuing, the PHCDA boss disclosed that a team made up of persons of integrity from the media, CSOs, communities and other key stakeholders will go round to each local government areas to identify, in line with the people's agreement, at least one healthcare facility that is in a worst state of disrepair. She assured that the process of identification and selection will be totally devoid of political influence.

Dr Edu however implored the online media platforms to see the partnership as a course for the advancement of humanity and therefore give it their best effort to enable the initiative yield positive impact in the lives of the people, noting that by so doing, they are writing their names in gold.

Some participants who spoke at the meeting, lauded Dr Betta Edu for coming up with such an initiative, which they described as humanistic. They therefore pledged their total commitment to ensuring the success of CR PHC 72hrs makeover initiative.