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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State, in tandem with the dictates of the 21st Century, is gradually migrating from analogue to a digital healthcare system.
The state government has equipped the new Obingwa General Hospital with Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled digital equipment that can check vital signs and carry out other medical procedures seamlessly.
The Obingwa General Hospital is the first retrofitted and digitally equipped secondary healthcare facility under the administration of Governor Alex Otti, and will serve as a benchmark for other secondary healthcare facilities in the state. This much was disclosed by the Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, while inspecting the hospital.
He said, “In fact, one of the equipment that we have here is AI-enabled. So, all these things are to ensure that we can leverage technology to expand coverage.
“We have a digital stadiometer which does a lot of things. Instead of using the manual equipment to measure your blood pressure, your heart rate, your weight and height, you just stand on it and it measures your height, your weight, and then there is a hand that you can use to get your blood pressure, your pulse, everything.
“And then, it will calculate your BMI. So, all your vital parameters at a glance, you get it. And it is already linked to the cloud, our digital archive, to transfer all that information and save it. So, that is what we are doing. And in fact, beyond that, when it registers something that is designed like the blood pressure, you will even tell it.
“The facilities for that are here. We also have facilities for radiology, facilities for the opportunity, and then, of course, modern beds and all the basic facilities you need to have in a modern general hospital. So, we’re happy that we can say that we’re meeting the standards that His Excellency has set”.
Prof Uche said the government is not just building a modern, robust, future-ready healthcare, but also customising and making it people-friendly, so that Abians will be able to embrace and use it for their benefit.
The health commissioner disclosed that remodelling the hospital was part of Governor Otti’s vision to ensure that all Abians, including those in the rural and suburban areas, are able to access the highest quality of healthcare services, irrespective of where they live. He noted that the hospital used to be dysfunctional, with leaking roofs, and was a habitation for rodents and reptiles before it was approved for renovation by Governor Otti.
“So, what was here before has been remodelled to a modern, and, I dare say, an ultra modern health care system. I think Abians should be proud of what His Excellency is doing”.
He informed that the hospital is equipped with the best facilities that can be found anywhere, adding that the government has enough healthcare workers to care for the people.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Hospitals Management Board (HMB), Dr Odochi Azubuike, disclosed that Governor Otti is fixing the health ecosystem in the State. She said that the secondary healthcare system is more like the balance between primary and tertiary healthcare services and appreciated Governor Otti for all he is doing in the healthcare system.
The hospital, located at Mgboko, the Obingwa Local Government Headquarters is equipped with modern facilities, including digital beds, world class theatre, and solar-powered electricity, among others.
