By Asma’u Ahmad
The Cross River State Government on Tuesday said it was targeting no fewer than 40 patients to benefit from the state’s second phase of free Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) repair and rehabilitation.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Inyang Asibong, disclosed this in an interview with the media men in Calabar.
Governor Ben Ayade
She said the 40 patients were expected to benefit from the second phase of the treatment which was recently launched by the ministry.
Dr Asibong said the exercise would be carried out on monthly basis until the state was VVF free. She said that the ministry had embarked on advocacy and sensitisation programme with a view to reaching out to affected women to enrol for the free treatment.
She added that the state has two VVF centres across the state and we are carrying out this exercise in collaboration with Engender Health, the implementation partner of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
“The first phase of this exercise was held in April 2017 and we recorded huge success because majority of the women were treated free and given transportation money back to their various destinations,” she said.
The commissioner said the state had a budget for sustainability of the exercise and urged women across the state to register for the treatment.
She lauded Governor Ben Ayade for placing premium on the health needs of residents, stressing that the ministry had received a major boost under his administration.
She assured that the ministry would not relent in providing quality and affordable healthcare services to residents.
