Otti to flags off 1,000-bed health facility in Abia July 10

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, will flag-off  the construction of the Abia Medical City, a 1,000- bed facility in Aba, on July 10. The project according to the government would reverse medical tourism in Nigeria.

The state Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, made the disclosure while briefing journalists in Umuahia, yesterday.

“The Abia Medical City is the signature project that will ultimately reverse medical tourism, not just in Abia State or the Southeast, but in the whole of Nigeria and the West African sub-region. This flagship project, when completed, will transform the state into a major hub for advanced medical services.

“It occupies a land space of about 200 hectares, and will feature a 1,000-bed capacity hospital, which will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. It will also feature facilities for medical tourism, a five-star hotel complex and accommodation for both patients and their families.

The commissioner, who put the total cost of the project at $1.3 billion, noted that it was a collaborative project between the Abia State government and MKP International Holdings on a build, operate, and transfer business model with the state government, offering its reputation, land, and other logistics. He informed that the access road to the proposed site for the Medical City was already nearing completion, adding that the facility is projected to be delivered within 24 months.

Also to be flagged off soon are 11 rural roads projects and three agro-logistics hubs or markets under the World Bank Assisted Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).

The commissioner disclosed that the state government has so far paid a total of N4.1billion as counterpart funding for the RAAMP projects in the state.