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By Madu Obi
A world class hospital attracted by the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program (Phase One), ATASP-1, has been opened at Ogbunka in Orumba South local government area of Anambra State.
At the inauguration ceremony, Governor Chukwuma Soludo commended the organization for making great impact in rural communities of the state.
The governor said although ATASP-1 was set up by the federal government
with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) as an important partner in the efforts to tackle hunger, unemployment and insecurity, it has extended its activities to providing healthcare infrastructure.
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Forster Ihejiofor described ATASP-1, an agricultural sector development intervention programme set up by the Federal Government.
Soludo, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Forster Ihejiofor, commended the management of ATASP-1 for investing billions of naira into infrastructures that support large scale modern farming, agro-processing and improved standard of living for rural farmers.
He said that health care workers, especially nurses, would be posted to the hospital to provide services to people from the community and their neighbours.
“We will liaise with the Ministry of Health to upgrade the staffing of the health center to ensure that people from the neighbouring towns like Ufuma, Nawfija, Inyi, Owerri-Ezukalla and so on, also take advantage of the facilities here for their medical treatments”, he stated.
The Zonal Programme Coordinator of ATASP-1 Adani-Omor Zone, Dr. Romanus Egba, expressed joy that the hospital was finally commissioned toprovide healthcare services to farmers in the area.
He observed that the programme had supported farmers in selected communities with supply of improved variety of cassava cuttings (seeds) and training on Good Agronomics Practices (GAPs), but felt the need to provide social/ancillary infrastructure facilities like hospital, water, schools and markets that enhance their wellbeing and income generation.
He added: "ATASP-1 discovered that farmers need certain social and economic infrastructure to improve on their productivity and that access to quality healthcare enhances productivity.
That is why we decided to build hospitals in communities that lack them so that farmers can easily be taken care of when sick.
"It’s only when their condition requires specialist treatment that they can be referred to a general or specialist hospital."
According to him, Ogbunka is the only community under ATASP-1 where the organization has built water borehole and hospital at the same place and so urged stakeholders in the community to make good use of the facilities.
“The hospital and water borehole built here present an opportunity for farmers in Ogbunka and neighbouring communities to enjoy good health and improved productivity."
"So, we expect that the facilities be maintained and utilized", he stated.
Egba said added that the programme was ready to train and support more farmers, especially youths, on cassava and sorghum production.
The chairman of Ogbunka Farmers Cooperative under ATASP-1 , Mr. Gabriel Orie was full of praises for ATASP-1 for transforming lives of cassava farmers in Ogbunka through input support and training on modern farming techniques and food processing, especially how to use cassava flour to produce confectionaries.
He also described the commissioning of Ogbunka hospital as a turning point in their lives, as farmers in the area would no longer travel long distance to seek medical attention.
He pledged the readiness of the community leaders to make good use of the facility. Other community leaders who spoke at the occasion took turns to praise ATASP-1 for providing such a standard cottage hospital at Ogbunka
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