Gov. Otu Transforms Primary Healthcare in Cross River: 94 Centres Revamped, Immunization Leads Nation

 

By Jesam Ofem

In just under two years, the Cross River State Government under the leadership of Governor Bassey Edet Otu has delivered sweeping reforms in the primary healthcare sector, setting new national benchmarks in service delivery, infrastructure, and immunization coverage.

At the heart of this transformation are the renovation of 94 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the state’s 196 political wards, full-scale digitalization, aggressive manpower expansion, and a historic 95% immunization rate — the highest in Nigeria.

The revelations were made by Dr. Vivien Mesembe Otu, Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA), during a state-wide media engagement in Calabar.

Recalling the state of the health system prior to the current administration, Dr. Otu was blunt in her assessment: “What we met was a healthcare graveyard — collapsed buildings, absent staff, and communities that had lost complete trust in government health services.”

She noted that many of the PHC structures were so dilapidated they posed health hazards themselves. “Clients had migrated to patent medicine dealers and traditional birth attendants because our centres were neither functional nor staffed.”

But that narrative has changed now.

Under Governor Otu’s People-First agenda, a deliberate strategy was adopted to rehabilitate one PHC per ward — equipping each with solar-powered electricity, clean water boreholes, and state-of-the-art medical tools for maternal and child care.

So far, 94 PHCs have been revitalized, with more underway. These include:

 • 5 centres fully funded by the state government,

 • 82 centres supported through the World Bank-assisted IMPACT Project, and

 • 7 centres renovated under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF).

Every revitalized facility now comes with a Mama Kit—a childbirth package containing all essentials a pregnant woman needs for safe delivery.

“Now, all a mother needs to bring is herself and the pregnancy,” Dr. Otu said with pride.

To tackle chronic understaffing, the state has recruited 196 skilled birth attendants—one for each ward—and over 380 additional healthcare workers across all cadres. Training and retraining remain a cornerstone of the reform.

Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) have also been integrated through targeted orientation:

“We trained them to identify safe deliveries and refer complicated cases to functional centres. We are not discarding them; we are reforming them,” she added.

One of the boldest innovations is the digitalization of healthcare data and operations. All 196 ward-level centres have been equipped with computer systems, enabling accurate health data tracking, service monitoring, and centralized evaluation.

A partnership with The Elephant Project is underway to deploy more robust digital tools, aimed at further automating patient records, immunization schedules, and inventory management.

“You can’t plan healthcare in the dark. Data is the new stethoscope,” Dr. Otu emphasized.

A crowning achievement of the reform agenda is Cross River’s ascension to first place nationally in routine immunization coverage, as revealed in the 2023–2024 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS).

With a remarkable 95% coverage rate, the state overtook even Lagos (86%), thanks to intensive media sensitization, community outreach, and zero-dose tracking.

“We took immunization to the creeks, to the mountains, to every child who had never seen a vaccine. We didn’t wait for them to come—we went to them,” Dr. Otu declared.

Beyond brick and mortar, the agency is instilling a culture of community ownership. Before any facility is upgraded, a community entry meeting is held with local leaders, youth groups, and village committees.

“These centres must not be seen as government buildings—they are community assets. Protection and sustainability must come from within,” Dr. Otu stated.

She, however, decried recent acts of vandalism, particularly in Bakassi, where newly upgraded centres were burgled.

“We are returning to those communities to re-engage. A few criminal elements must not undo our collective progress.”

While 94 centres have been completed, the goal is to cover all 196 wards. Dr. Otu disclosed that ₦5 billion has already been earmarked in the 2025 budget to sustain the revitalization program, complete with solar infrastructure and staff quarters.

“We are not just renovating structures. We are restoring dignity to healthcare and rebuilding public trust,” she concluded. “The governor has shown that with the right political will, quality healthcare is not a privilege—it is a right.”

The Cross River State Primary Healthcare Revitalization Programme is a flagship component of Governor Bassey Otu’s broader People-First governance framework, which prioritizes grassroots development, human capital, and equitable access to services.