By CrossRiverWatch admin
Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (CRSPHCDA), has launched her first ever website www.crsphcda.org as well as an interactive facebook page www.facebook.com/crsphcda
The Director General of the Agency, Dr. Betta Edu told CrossRiverWatch that the website will provide a window of communication between the CRSPHCDA, the other MDAs, those the agency is meant to serve in the state as well as the rest of the world.
She said she was delighted that the agency has been able to create an enabling platform for Cross Riverians to get first hand information and updates on all health activities in the state, share ideas, criticize and advice the agency on policies aimed at revitalizing the Primary Health Care system in the state.
She urged the general public to always view the site and update themselves with the latest information, events and programs of the agency.
Speaking also, the Director, Primary Health Care in the Agency, Dr. Ana Onabiene noted that the DG, Dr. Betta Edu during her first management meeting with staff of the Agency on December 23rd, 2015 promised to get the Agency (then Department of Community and Primary Health Care) a very interactive website that will help showcase the activities of the Agency as well as provide ready health education to all Cross Riverians.
The Director lauded the DG for keeping to her word and promised to mobilize resources for the maintenance of the site.
Meanwhile CrossRiverWatch gathered that the state Commissioner for ICT had asked the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs to pay N200 ,000 (two hundred thousand Naira) each to enable the Ministry open an integrated portal for all of them in Cross River State where all the online activities of all the various MDAs will be accessed from one URL with sub links to each of them.
But dissatisfied with the arrangement which many of the Heads of the MDAs argue did not work in the past, many of them have rejected the ICT Commissioner’s offer while opting for independent portals to showcase their activities.
The reason according to some administration officials who spoke to CrossRiverWatch is because “First and foremost, you don’t ask people to pay N200,000 to do an integrated portal. Even if each MDA wants to do their website, they won’t spend that much, then of course the issue of who will manage the information promptly and as at the time each MDA needs their things done? Does the ICT Ministry itself even have any form of online presence to give the rest of us confidence that they will be able to project our own activities through a central system that they will control? One of them told this reporter.