From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
In a move to enhance healthcare delivery in Abia State, Governor Alex Otti recently inaugurated a 100-bed Sustainable Development Multipurpose Hospital in Obeaja, Ugwunagbo Local Government Area.
A statement by Special Assistant to the SSAP-SDGs on Media and Publicity, Desmond Utomwen, the state-of-the-art hospital, constructed and equipped by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs), is part of the Federal Government’s health intervention programme aimed at achieving SDG Goal 3 on good health and well-being.
The statement quoted at Otti emphasising that healthcare is a key priority in his administration’s rebuilding agenda.
He commended President Bola Tinubu’s government for prioritizing the hospital’s completion and renaming it from the Mother and Child Hospital to the Sustainable Development Multipurpose Hospital.
“I would like to thank you for your commitment to see the completion of this project and for ensuring that the state government will take over the management of the hospital,” Otti said. He also announced that the state government would provide additional land for the construction of doctors’ quarters.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, on her part described the hospital as an intervention aligned with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She highlighted the federal government’s commitment to prioritizing key interventions that have multiplier effects on eradicating multidimensional poverty.
The hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including two operating theatres, recovery rooms, private and general wards, a scanning room, consultation rooms, a laboratory, an ultra-scan machine, a vacuum extractor delivery set, and an emergency cart. It is directly linked to the achievement of SDG-3 and other cross-cutting SDGs.
Wife of the Abia Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, described the hospital as a testament to the government’s commitment to improving healthcare in alignment with SDGs.
Represented by the Wife of the Deputy Governor, Adaeze Emetu, she expressed confidence that the facility would enhance access to healthcare services and improve health outcomes.
The Transition Committee Chairman of Ugwunagbo LGA, Nosike Ihesiaba, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu, both praised the hospital as a milestone towards equitable healthcare access. Dr. Odochi Azubuike, CEO of the Hospital Management Board, highlighted the hospital’s capacity to provide comprehensive care, especially for women and children.