UMUAHIA — Abia Gov. Alex Otti has inaugurated a newly remodelled and digitally equipped 80-bed Obingwa General Hospital and renamed the facility after the late Chima Ubani, a renowned human rights activist and indigene of Obingwa Local Government Area.
The commissioning took place on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Mgboko, headquarters of Obingwa Local Government Area.
Speaking at the event, Otti said healthcare remained central to his administration’s development agenda, noting that investments in the sector were aimed at restoring confidence in public health institutions and saving lives, particularly those of mothers and newborns.
He said the facility would expand access to quality medical services for hundreds of thousands of residents in Obingwa and neighbouring communities.
According to him, its strategic location would also serve residents of Aba, Osisioma and other adjoining areas.
Otti expressed satisfaction with the modern features of the hospital, including a healing garden, technology-driven data management, real-time inter-facility collaboration, technology-assisted laboratory and scan analysis, a well-equipped theatre, eye care units, observation rooms and a renewable energy system designed to support uninterrupted power supply.
“We have reached a new milestone in the effort to modernise our health institutions to reflect the spirit of this age.
“This facility should remain open every night and day. It operates for 24 hours a day, Saturdays and Sundays inclusive.
“Whoever comes here for medical reasons must receive the attention and support they need, whatever their social or economic conditions,” Otti said.
The governor explained that the decision to rename the hospital after Ubani was a tribute to the late activist’s courage, compassion and lifelong commitment to justice, democracy and the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
Recalling Ubani’s role as a pro-democracy campaigner, Students’ Union President at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Otti described him as “a mentor of the masses, one who died in pursuit of the very ideals that he lived for.”
He said the honour was intended not only to preserve Ubani’s memory but also to inspire present and future generations to live lives of courage, service and integrity.
Otti assured that his administration would continue to support the family of the late activist and collaborate with medical professionals and other stakeholders to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
The governor said he was pleased that community leaders had been incorporated to ensure that the facility remained protected, and cautioned vandals against any attempt to vandalise the hospital.
Speaking at the event, the Senator representing Abia South, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe; Labour Party State Chairman, Mr Peter Azubuike; Labour Party candidate for Obingwa, Osisioma/Ugwunagbo Federal Constituency, Dr Okey Nwambu; and Labour Party candidate for Obingwa West Constituency, Chief Mrs Victoria Dibunma Onwubiko, thanked the governor for the hospital and other transformational projects in Obingwa.
The Mayor of Obingwa Local Government Area, Mr Maxwell Nwadike, and Eze Nwabiaraije Eneogwe also thanked Otti for the projects and assured that the people of Obingwa would vote overwhelmingly for him and members of his party.
In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, said the 80-bed general hospital demonstrated that Otti was building a future-ready healthcare system in Abia.
Uche disclosed that within three years in office, the governor had embarked on 301 infrastructural projects in the health sector, including the construction and equipping of 277 primary healthcare centres to the standard set by the administration.
He said the facility was a digital hospital and that women in labour at various primary healthcare centres could be linked to it.
“Obingwa has received more than a fair share of these projects, including 18 primary health centres, 13 of them under Project Ekwueme and five under Impact project,” Uche said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Abia State Hospitals Management Board (HMB), Dr Odochi Azubuike, recalled that the hospital was built by the Local Government SURE-P, Abia State, and commissioned in 2015.
She said the Otti administration met the hospital in a dilapidated state, with no admissions, drugs or equipment.
Azubuike said the hospital had now moved from a facility that lacked basic necessities to a functional hospital.
She appreciated the governor for his commitment to promoting the welfare of HMB staff and urged the people of Obingwa to take ownership of the facility and ensure its protection.
The Chairman of Save A Life Group, Dr Richard Okoye, said the group was partnering with the state because of what he described as the visionary leadership of Otti.
Okoye said Abia would soon record the highest life expectancy in West Africa because of the governor’s investments in healthcare.
He appreciated Otti’s decision to ensure that every Abian deserved dignified and quality healthcare.
Also, retired renowned Professor of Paediatrics, Prof. Kanu Nkaginieme, commended Otti’s transformational efforts and stressed the need for President-Generals and community leaders to oversee health facilities.
Nkaginieme urged all Abians to take ownership of the projects being executed by the administration across the state.
The event was attended by the Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, FNSE; Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmanuel Meribeole; and Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, Ph.D., among other senior government officials.
Otti Inaugurates 80-bed hospital
