Gov. Alex Otti of Abia on Tuesday inaugurated an 80-bed general hospital in Obingwa Local Government Area (LGA) aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare services.
Otti, who inaugurated the facility named Chima Ubani General Hospital, said that the project reflected his administration’s commitment to modernising the state’s healthcare institutions and improving access to quality medical services.
He said that the sustained investment in the health sector had restored confidence in the state’s health institutions and contributed to saving lives, particularly mothers and newborns.
“Good health is at the heart of every human pursuit. It is foundational to the litany of blessings that we seek,” Otti said.
According to him, a productive workforce, social prosperity and expansion of social and economic opportunities are among the benefits of sustained investment in healthcare.
He said that the 80-bed facility represented a new paradigm in healthcare delivery, with features designed to improve patients’ recovery and overall experience.
The governor said that the hospital had a healing garden designed to integrate elements of the natural environment into patients’ recovery processes.
He said that its technology-driven operational framework would support effective data management and real-time collaboration among healthcare facilities.
Otti said that technology would also support critical medical processes, including analysis of laboratory results and medical scans, to improve the accuracy of findings.
He said that the facility’s theatre, eye-care and observation rooms were fitted with modern equipment to support surgical operations, restoration of body functions and recovery.
The governor said that the renewable energy system installed at the hospital would ensure uninterrupted power supply, including during adverse weather conditions.
He commended the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, and the project team for their diligence in delivering the facility.
Otti urged members of the community healthcare oversight team to work with the State Ministry of Health to prevent vandalism, truancy and other forms of sabotage.
He directed that the hospital remain operational 24 hours a day, including Saturdays and Sundays.
“This facility should remain open every night and day. It operates for 24 hours in a day, Saturdays and Sundays inclusive,” the governor said.
He assured residents of regular supply of quality drugs and medical consumables, stressing that patients must receive the attention and support they required regardless of their social or economic circumstances.
Otti also warned against vandalism and other acts capable of undermining the facility, saying that government would ensure accountability in the management of taxpayers’ resources.
“What has been invested here is taxpayers’ money, and every couple of feet must yield commensurate value to our people,” he said.
The governor said that attempts to vandalise the facility would be treated as a direct attack on the state and dealt with according to the law.
Otti subsequently announced that the facility would be named after the late Comrade Chima Ubani, a prominent son of Obingwa and former Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation.
He described Ubani as a pro-democracy activist who campaigned against military dictatorship and repressive economic policies, while advocating the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
The governor said that naming the hospital after Ubani was a tribute to his memory and a reminder of the values of courage, compassion and service.
He recalled that Ubani died in an accident on Sept. 21, 2005, describing his death as an unfortunate loss that left a vacuum yet to be filled.
Otti urged the people to preserve the values for which Ubani stood, saying that the hospital would serve as a lasting symbol of his contributions to society.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, said that the remodelled 80-bed Obingwa General Hospital was equipped with digital health technology to expand access to quality healthcare.
Uche said that the facility represented the administration’s vision of providing healthcare services that responded effectively to the needs of residents.
“This means that our mothers who are in labour in the different primary health centres in Obingwa can be monitored from this high-end facility.
“That is what we call telehealth technology. This Obingwa General Hospital is the first general hospital in Abia State to have this technology, and perhaps the first of such anywhere in the South-East of Nigeria,” he said.
In his remarks, the lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial District, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, described the hospital as a legacy project that would outlive the present administration.
Abaribe said the achievements of the Otti-led administration had continued to resonate across the state and attract sustained support from citizens, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In his remarks, the Chairman of Obingwa LGA, Mr Maxwell Nwadike, described the event as a celebration of a vision that had become a reality.
Nwadike described the facility as a demonstration of how a state government could positively impact the lives of its citizens by bringing quality healthcare services closer to the people.
In separate goodwill messages, the State Chairman of Labour Party, Chief Peter Azubuike, and Eze Nwabiarije Eneogwe, former First Deputy Chairman of Abia Traditional Rulers Council, commended the government for its massive investment in the health sector.
They said that the facility would serve as a centre for innovation, hope and quality healthcare for the people of Obingwa LGA, adding that citizens would continue to support the Otti-led administration.
Dr Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, said the government was determined to tackle maternal and child mortality and improve health-seeking behaviour through the construction of general hospitals.
“The foundation of true prosperity is good health,” she said, and urged the people of Obingwa to own the hospital and take full advantage of its services.
