The Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, has directed that all health workers across the state must henceforth wear clear and identifiable name tags while attending to patients in health facilities.
The commissioner gave the directive during a press briefing held to commemorate World Hypertension Day, an annual event dedicated to raising awareness on hypertension prevention, detection, and control.
Dr. Obidike emphasized that the use of name tags is a vital step toward improving accountability, professionalism, and patient safety within the healthcare system. He noted that patients deserve to know the identities of those attending to them, adding that transparency helps to build trust and confidence between health workers and members of the public.
According to him, the policy will also strengthen discipline among health personnel, reduce cases of impersonation, and ensure that laid down standards are strictly adhered to across all primary, secondary, and tertiary health facilities in the state.
He further stressed that every cadre of health worker including doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, and support staff must comply fully with the directive without exception.
The commissioner warned that heads of health facilities would be held responsible for enforcing compliance in their respective institutions.
“The era where patients are attended to by anonymous personnel must give way to full identification and accountability. Every patient has the right to know the health worker providing care to them,” Dr. Obidike stated.
He added that the Ministry of Health remains committed to building a transparent, efficient, and people-oriented healthcare system that prioritizes the dignity, safety, and wellbeing of patients across the state.
Speaking further on World Hypertension Day, the commissioner reiterated that the ongoing awareness campaign is aimed at encouraging residents to regularly check their blood pressure, noting that early detection remains one of the most effective ways of preventing complications associated with hypertension.
He urged members of the public to take advantage of blood pressure screening services available at primary healthcare centres and other government health facilities across the state.
Dr. Obidike also assured that monitoring teams would soon be deployed across health facilities to ensure strict adherence to the directive in the coming weeks.
Contributing, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Obiageli Uchebo, emphasized the importance of the theme, “Know Your Numbers,” urging health workers to become advocates of regular medical check-ups and healthy living among residents.
She noted that awareness and routine health screening remain essential tools in reducing the burden of hypertension and other non-communicable diseases in society.
Present at the press briefing were the Director of Public Health, Dr. Afam Aneme, Director of Administration, Ekene Ilozumba Esq., and staff of the State Ministry of Health.
