Otti flags-off construction of Abia specialist hospital

Alex Otti, governor of Abia State, has flagged-off the construction of the Abia Specialist and Diagnostic Centre, Umunnato, Alayi in Bende Local Government Area of the state.
The project is part of the efforts of Governor Otti to upgrade the long abandoned Umunnato General Hospital into a tertiary healthcare facility, with 100-bed ward, theatres, accident and emergency units, general outpatient departments, maternity wards, dental units and radiology departments.
While performing the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, as part of activities marking his third anniversary in office, the governor said that he decided to demolish and rebuild the old and dilapidated facility to get desired quality.
The governor instructed the contractor to comply strictly with the specifications and deliver within one year.
He constituted a four-man supervisory team comprising the member, representing Bende North State Constituency. Nnamdi Ibekwe; Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Chima Anyaso, House of Representatives hopeful for Bende Federal Constituency; and Ifeoma Agu, deputy mayor of Bende LGA.
“We found that it was cheaper to demolish and build a new one than to try and fix something that you probably wouldn’t even get exactly what you require. Anywhere we flag-off a project, it means it will be commissioned and it will be commissioned in record time,” Governor Otti assured.

He expressed optimism that the hospital would be ready for commissioning during activities marking his administration’s fourth anniversary and inauguration of his second term in office.
“So, the contractor is here and I would like to give the contractor a target. In the next one year as we will be celebrating our fourth anniversary and preparing for the next inauguration, we shall be commissioning this project,” Otti stated.
Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, Professor and Commissioner for Health, noted that the establishment of the specialist hospital was in fulfilment of the governor’s promise that each senatorial zone in the state would have a tertiary healthcare facility to serve as a referral centre for specialized medical care.
He said that when the governor took over office, he made it a point of priority that, “every senatorial district or senatorial zone in Abia State must have a tertiary hospital to serve as the pinnacle referral centre for that senatorial zone.
“And that is to bring specialized care to the doorstep of Abians so that nobody is left behind,” Uche stated.
The commissioner noted that the abandoned hospital was established in 1962, and had deteriorated for decades.
“This hospital was initially established in 1962. At that time, it was serving the whole of Abia North. Unfortunately, for 40 years, it has been abandoned,” Uche said.
He noted that Abia State University Teaching Hospital serves Abia South Senatorial zone, the Amachara Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre caters for Abia Central, while the Umunnato facility serves Abia North.
Uche informed the mammoth crowd that consultants working towards securing the Joint Commission International (JCI) certification, which is regarded globally as one of the highest standards in hospital accreditation, had already commenced work in line with the directive of the governor.
The governor later commissioned two primary healthcare centres, including the Umuisi Primary Healthcare facility and the Okafia Primary Healthcare facility all in Igbere, Bende Local Government Areas.