Raphael Ede, Enugu
The Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, has said railway hospitals across the country occupy a special position in the heart of the management.
He said issues pertaining to life, good and quality healthcare of railway staff and their dependents are paramount and should not be toyed with.
Speaking at the commissioning of newly rehabilitated Railway Hospital, Enugu done by a United States-based Governance Infrastructure Business Transparency Consultancy (GIBC Digital), he said the rebuilding of the hospital was important as, “the natures of some of the duties performed by our staff are tedious and hence, require quality and prompt medicare.”
The MD said the transformation in the hospital was obvious and directed the Director of Finance to ensure that all hospital equipment GIBC had shipped for the hospital at Onne Port in Port-Harcourt were cleared without further delays.
According to him, “the delays you may have noticed were as a result of some bureaucratic bottle necks, which are being sorted out now.
“The Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Transportation and by extension, the Federal Government of Nigeria, hereby extend a longer hand of fellowship to the GIBC so that together we can take this relationship and healthcare of the workers of the corporation to the next level.”
While assured the commitment of the NRC towards sustaining the infrastructure and making sure they were put to good use, Okhiri promised reconstruction of the road leading to the hospital as part of her contribution to the transformation.
“Our belief is that what you have done here will go a long way in rejuvenating the commitment and interest of the workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation towards putting in their best while discharging their duties,” he said.
Earlier in his address, the CEO, GIBC Digital, Mr. Greg Wood, thanked the Railway management for opportunity they gave them to showcase their ability.
Mr. Wood said they were motivated by so many reasons. According to him, “we did it because when you have the ability to make positive change in a community you should; we want to establish ourselves as a trusted partner in Nigeria by giving benefits before we receive any.
“We want all of Africa to see the kind of transformative change we bring to organisations, and there is no better way to do that than to create a real-world example. We intend to revolutionise how healthcare is delivered.”
He said they used the hospital to show an example of the transformation that is possible when government, businesses and communities come together and apply know-how, along with technological solutions, to increase access and lower the cost of healthcare.
Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, in his goodwill message, enjoined the Federal Government and Railway Management to make sure the eastern district of corporation works so that the hospital would be beneficiary to the railway community.
The District Medical Officer of the hospital, Dr. Christian Ijemba, while commending GIBC management, said the scope of the hospital services had increased as they now run special clinics in the areas of urology, eye, paediatric and soon dental.