Hope beams as Otti moves to revolutionalise Abia health sector
By Steve Oko
Health is wealth. The heavy investment in the health sector by responsible administrations underscores the importance of this age-long axiom.
Regrettably, the health sector in Abia State, has been a shambles over the years due to gross neglect by previous administrations.
The sector was plagued by lack of medical facilities, dilapidation of the few available ones, inadequate manpower, backlog of salary arrears resulting into incessant strike action, among other woes.
At a point, the state -owned tertiary health institution – the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, ABSUTH, Aba – almost became moribund as doctors embarked on indefinite strike following 21 months of salaries arrears.
Similarly, the Abia Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre Umuahia became a ghost of itself as Government showed little or no care.
The dialysis centre at the hospital for nearly four years, was in comatose and dilapidation set in in other departments that only provided skeletal services until very recently.
Obviously worried by the grave implications of the ugly situation to the health and wealth of the citizenry, Gov. Alex Otti, appears set to change the narrative.
He demonstrated his resolve to do things differently by meeting the United Nations 15% budgetary benchmark on health in the 2024 budget, the first in the history of Abia State.
At the early days of his administration, he took the bold step to overhaul ABSUTH when he embarked on massive infrastructural renovation at the hospital.
New sets of equipment were installed and regular payment of salaries commenced while modalities on offsetting the backlog of salary arrears are being worked out.
Impressed with the efforts of the Otti-led administration to rebuild the hospital, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria; and the Nigeria Universities Commission, NUC, which had earlier withdrawn their accreditations of the hospital, both restored them.
Interestingly, the admission quota of the medical college was increased while housemanship programme which had stopped due to many months of strike actions, has again re-commenced.
, Although it is still a work in progress, the astronomical increase in the number of patients visiting the hospital for medical attention is a testimonial that hope is beginning to beam in the once-abandoned hospital.Sources at the hospital confirmed a continuous spike in the number of patients visiting the hospital since the current overhaul started.
The Governor has also extended the transformation efforts to the Abia Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre Umuahia to enable it provide quality and affordable health care for residents of the state capital and its environs.
He first began with infrastructural renovation followed by the establishment of Eye Care centre at the hospital where state -of-the-art equipment are used in diagnosis.
Recently, the Eye Care centre expanded to Amachara General hospital which is now an annex of the Specialist Hospital.
Commissioner for Health, Professor Ogbonnaya Uche, had during the inauguration of the centre, disclosed that the Governor had also given a marching order to upgrade the hospital into a world-class hospital for eye treatment and other ailments.
He hinted that funds had been released for the upgrade of the hospital into a College of Nursing.
The State Ministry of Health has already advertised vacancies for the position of Provost and other principal officers of the College preparatory to its take off.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties, Dr Betty Emeka-Obasi, who also oversees the Eye Clinic, confirmed that there had been an upsurge of patients at the eye clinic owing to quality services and availability of sophisticated equipment.
The recent appointment of the former Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Abia State chapter, Dr Chimezie Okwuonu, as the CMD of the Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, appears to have equally paid off.
In less than three months of his coming on board, the dialysis centre of the hospital which had completely been shut down for over four years has been revived with all six dialysis points fully functional.
The Management of the Specialist Hospital in its expansionist drive has equally successfully, opened a dental clinic.
Dr Okwuonu, while inaugurating the dental clinic, said the feat was a milestone in the hospital’s commitment to providing comprehensive healthcare services in the sate.
The aim, according to him, is to make the hospital a referral medical facility in the state.
“The establishment of this dental centre is a testament to our dedication to excellence in healthcare provision”, he said, adding, “we have invested in the latest technology and assembled a team of highly skilled professionals to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care.”
“Our goal is to provide a wide range of dental services, from routine check-ups and cleanings to advanced surgical procedures, all under one roof”, he added.
The CMD said that the state -of-the-art facility would not only enhance the oral health of patients, but also contribute to their overall well-being.
“We believe that good oral health is a cornerstone of good general health and our dental centre is designed to address all aspects of dental care with precision and compassion.”
Commending the Governor for the rapid transformation currently witnessed in the hospital, Dr Okwuonu disclosed that the hospital had started performing surgeries which also stopped over four years ago.
The CMD disclosed that the hospital had received approved to recruit House Officers as well as Consultants in all sub-specialties.
He further disclosed that approval had equally been secured for the commencement of Orthopedic and Trauma services at Amachara annex of the hospital.
It is glad to note that within 18 months of Otti’s administration; and five months of Okwuonu’s appointment as the CMD, Abia Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, is now transforming from obscurity to a reference centre.
The hospital has successfully commenced some key Specialty Clinics and services including:Neurology clinic (for stroke, seizure disorders, migraines, meningitis, neuronal diseases etc); and Dermatology Clinic (for skin diseases like rashes, eczema, pimples, mouth and genital ulcers).
Others are Endocrinology
Clinic (for diabetes, thyroid and other metabolic diseases); Urology Clinic (for prostate cancers, prostate enlargement, kidney stones, kidney surgeries); Nephrology Clinic (for Kidney disease and hypertension); and Cardiology Clinic – for heart failure, heart attacks, hypertension, and vascular diseases.
Interestingly too, at Amachara General Hospital annex of the Specialist Hospital, the Pediatric Clinic has been re-enforced for the treatment of diseases of children.
It has equally been repositioned to provide improved services for pregnant women, and deal with women diseases, plus general surgery.
The CMD told our Correspondent that the hospital would witness more transformations in the months ahead following new directives and approvals from the State Government.
He said:”The Commissioner of Health has directed that the process for more surgical services and ICU complex at Amachara Annex be commenced, and we are working hard on this; to open up more services and serve our people better in line with the vision of the Governor.”
While commending government for the on-going transformation at ABSUTH, Abia Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, its recent move to renovate primary health centres across the state should be tackled with urgency.
Upgrading facilities at PHCs which serve as the first port of call in the health care delivery system should be a priority.
In view of the importance of functional PHCs especially in reducing maternal and infant mortalities, no investment in this critical sector should be considered too much.
Steve Oko, Publisher/C.E.O, WaWa News Global. For more information on advert placement and news coverage, contact us on: 08038725600, or via email stevemanofgod2000@yahoo.com; wawanewsglobal@gmail.com Always read WaWa News Global - Your most dependable online news platform for the latest breaking news in Nigeria. 
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