The Director General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRSPHCDA), Dr. Vivien Mesembe Otu, is steadily turning around the fortunes of healthcare delivery in rural communities through determined leadership and strategic reforms.
Since her appointment by Governor Bassey Otu, Dr. Otu has made rural healthcare the centerpiece of her mandate, working in line with Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s “People-First” agenda. Her vision, she says, is simple: to ensure that every citizen, regardless of location, has access to quality and affordable healthcare.
“Healthcare is not a privilege; it is a right. Every Cross Riverian, whether in the city or the most remote village, deserves quality and affordable care,” she emphasized.
One of her key priorities has been strengthening the state’s Minimum Service Package (MSP), the basic set of services every primary healthcare center is expected to provide. The Agency, under her leadership, has embarked on a review of the MSP to ensure facilities deliver a wider range of services, including maternal and child health, family planning, nutrition, immunization, and treatment for common illnesses.
Beyond policy, Dr. Otu has ensured practical changes on the ground. PHCs across the state are benefiting from improved supplies of essential drugs, enhanced supervision of staff, and targeted deployment of trained health workers to underserved areas.
Dr. Otu has consistently emphasized that sustainable healthcare goes beyond infrastructure and staffing. For her, the involvement of host communities is critical to long-term success.
“We engage directly with the people because sustainable healthcare requires ownership at the grassroots,” she noted.
Through this approach, the Agency has been able to win stronger support from traditional leaders, community groups, and development partners. Outreach campaigns have been expanded to boost immunization coverage, promote safe motherhood, and raise awareness on disease prevention.
Though challenges remain, observers say the difference in rural healthcare delivery is already noticeable. In parts of Yala, Ogoja, Akpabuyo and Bakassi, mothers now report safer deliveries due to improved midwife coverage. In Obubra, immunization exercises are reaching more children than in previous years. Communities in Akamkpa and Bekwarra are also witnessing renewed confidence in their primary health facilities.
Health workers themselves report better morale as they receive greater institutional backing and resources to carry out their duties including routine staff training and retraining.
Despite these gains, Dr. Otu acknowledges the road ahead is not without hurdles. Infrastructure gaps, funding limitations, and shortages of personnel continue to weigh on the system. Yet, she remains optimistic.
“The needs are huge, but step by step, we are changing the story,” she said. “Our goal is clear: no community will be left behind.”
Through determined leadership, pragmatic reforms, and community-centered strategies, Dr. Vivien Mesembe Otu is steadily rewriting the story of primary healthcare delivery in Cross River State. For many rural dwellers who once felt forgotten, neglected and unreached, her work is more than policy, it represents renewed hope that healthcare can truly be accessible to all.
© owaiobo
