Delta State Government has declared open its free medical services for rural dwellers, especially children under the age of five across the state.

Speaking weekend in Abavo, Ika axis of the state, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan said he would give priority attention to building good health centres across the state to reposition the rural areas for better health services.

According to him, "the machinery is in motion to ensure the success of all the health programmes. The state is undeterred by this large turnout; this service will be sustained.

"Plans are to start free medical services for all under five children in the state; the state's highway ambulance services will soon be launched."

He said the gesture was to improve on the scheme in 2008 when almost 20,000 patients were diagnosed in 93 communities across the 25 local government areas of the state.

"Seven thousand, four hundred and ninety five persons were tested for HIV/AIDS with 257 testing positive, giving a prevalent rate of 3.4 per cent showing improvement from the Federal Ministry of Health's 2005 sentinel survey which gave a prevalence of 3.7 per cent in the state," the governor disclosed.

Representing the governor at the event, Dr. Joseph Otuama, the commissioner for Health, said prior to the official flag off of the scheme, no fewer than eight communities of Oshimili North and South with over 500 villagers had already keyed into the delivery while 45 patients would undergo surgical operations.

He stated the preparedness of the state to beat the achievements it recorded in 2008, even as he said 850 surgery cases were completed without qualms last year and assured that greater emphasis would be paid to surgical problems this year.

On Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) of the state government, the governor said the state had been positioned to meet the drug needs of the various programmes, saying, "The desire of the state government is to ensure that the health centres are functional so as to serve the people better."