THE NIGHTMARE OF OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH SECTOR, THERE IS A NEED TO REHABILITATE ICHI GENERAL HOSPITAL, MAKA NKE A BÜ NKE ANYÏ. (THIS IS OUR OWN)

From the foregoing, it will be clear that community development is the vehicle through which communities are encouraged to provide for their basic needs through their efforts. In this case, every community should try to establish, with the minimum government assistance in terms of capital investment, at least one viable economic project in which as many community members as possible can participate and from which they can derive maximum benefit.

We must investigate our health sector in the Ichi community because health is wealth. We all know the importance of good health and that everything ends with good health.

A health center in the Ichi community was later converted to a cottage hospital. Now, it has become a General Hospital. It was commissioned in 1991. Chief H.O. Mojekwu gave the hospital a place free of charge without any conditions. Later, others gave some pieces of land for other uses by the hospital.

‍

Why We Need to Keep Our Community Hospital Viable

Community hospitals are under siege right now. Unlike large medical centers or hospital systems, they do not have the clout to qualify for the highest payor rates or the lowest vendor prices. These self-standing, non-profit institutions have limited access to financing at a time when we're stuck in the economic doldrums.

As a group, these hospitals seem ill-equipped for the vast changes that are sweeping through our industry.

However, this is not a time to kiss community hospitals goodbye. I don't particularly want to enter a brave new world with large, impersonal health systems where we are all cogs in the wheel. Without these community institutions, there would be a large hole in our healthcare system, and I don't think it could ever be filled.

A community hospital must remain firmly anchored to its roots–– the people it serves.

A well-functioning community hospital commands patient loyalty and binds itself closely to its physicians.

People often forget how vital their hospital is until it's shut down. But you don't need a closure to remind people how valuable their hospital can be. Even something as dreadful as a natural disaster can show us the deep connections between the hospital and the community.

Moreover, when the Ichi Ezuo Community Media Team visited Ichi General Hospital, we were appalled at how the structures and other hospital equipment were left unattended. Poor care caused damage.

When we met the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital, Dr. Chukwuma, and other nurses working in the hospital, they lamented about the critical condition of the hospital; they listed their urgent needs, which include:

1. Toilet and Bathroom for admitted patients.

2. A good signpost for people to know that the hospital is still functioning.

3. A sound generator in case there is an emergency at night.

4. More bedroom blocks for admitted patients.

Etc.

They plead with individuals, the community, or anyone who could help the hospital in any way to do so.

Health professionals and community members can collaborate and engage in mutually beneficial ways in the skilled delivery program. Community leaders, traditional and political leaders, and volunteers should be instrumental to the success of our hospital.

Let's come together and build it for our betterment. Don't forget that "Nke a bù nke anyī”. (This is our own)

‍