The Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA has donated a five kilowatts solar-powered system to Model Primary Health Centre (PHC), Akpajo, in Eleme local government area of Rivers State, to end the epileptic power supply in the health facility.
The club also renovated the maternity section of the PHC as well as donated modern equipment needed to ease child delivery as well as planted trees and flowers in the garden of the facility.
Commissioning the projects on Monday, the District Governor, Rotary International, District 9141, Chinedu Ikegwuani, lauded the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA for commencing the new Rotary Year with the commissioning of a project.
Ikegwuani said: “Honestly, I didn’t expect that immediately the Rotary Year takes off, we are already commissioning projects. But, it is wonderful. I must commend Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA and their partners, including the Gentleman of Table One. I mean, you have done wonderfully well.
“What you provided for this establishment, solar power and the equipment you just mentioned and even improving on the environment, which you know that all fall within our seven areas of focus. I don’t have much to tell you but you have done so well. Please, do not stop here; you started very well and please, keep it up.”
Earlier in his speech, President of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA, Douglas Okafor, said the projects were carried out in line with the Rotary’s emphasis on July as the month for maternal and child health.
Okafor said: “The project we have here is quite easy to explain. Rotary emphasis for July is ‘maternal and child health’, being able to deliver those things which make it easier for pregnant women, post-natal women to be able to be comfortable.
“Also to make sure that infants who are delivered in places are able to live. We want to curb infant and maternal deaths, which occur in a lot of places in Africa. Basically, the essence of these projects was to make this place more conducive.
“When we came here, one of the issues they had was lack of power. We facilitated with our partners to ensure the provision of a five kilowatts solar-powered system here, which was donated by one of our partners.
“We also provided a lot of equipment for the delivery room; things that are more modern than what they have and things that make it easier for them to control the process of childbirth. We also refurbished the wards; we painted the wards, we provided beddings.”