BY AGNES NWORIE,ABAKALIKI
Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David, Umahi, has identified substandard and expired drugs as causes of increased cases of kidney ,heart and liver diseases in the country.
Consequently,Umahi vowed to reposition healthcare and educational /health institutions in the State, no matter what it would cost.
Umahi expressed displeasure that fake and expired drugs were being sold indiscriminately in the rural areas without being checked.
The Governor spoke in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state capital when he flagged off the state Basic Health Care Provision Fund and State Health Insurance Scheme.
He condemned the selling of herbal substances by the vendors which he said was very injurious to the health of those that patronise them.
He expressed dismay that the health officials in the State were doing nothing to curb the ugly trend.
According to him, “it is going to be peace for peace, trouble for trouble in the weeks ongoing and I am going to reposition the health system in Ebonyi state and health institutions and educational institution”.
“If you go to the localities, people are selling expired drugs, people are selling drugs that are substandard, people are selling fake drugs and of late, we started having increase in kidney problems, liver problems, and cancer problems.
“We were not used to this because we eat fresh foods, we shouldn’t have this; And is this king of drugs that are causing it and I wonder what our health system people are doing.
“You see people mixing kai kai (local dry gin) with roots and selling, and nobody is talking. They even use microphone to sell it. Before now, big men suffer these diseases but now, big men are escaping it; it is now poor masses sicknesses.
