Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, on Tuesday commissioned the 80-bed Obingwa General Hospital, naming the facility after the late pro-democracy activist and former Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Comrade Chima Ubani.
The hospital, located in Mgboko, Obingwa Local Government Area, is the first retrofitted and digitally equipped secondary healthcare facility completed under the Otti administration and is designed to provide modern medical services to residents of Obingwa and neighbouring communities.
Equipped with modern medical technology, a world-class theatre, digital beds, advanced laboratory and diagnostic facilities, a healing garden and a renewable energy system, the facility is expected to strengthen access to quality secondary healthcare in the area.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Governor Otti who explained his decision to name the hospital after Ubani, noted that the late activist who died in an accident in 2005 was a courageous champion of democracy, justice and the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
He recalled Ubani’s role in campaigns against military dictatorship and repressive economic policies, describing him as “a martyr of the masses” who died in pursuit of the ideals he lived for.
According to governor Otti, the Chima Ubani General hospital Mgboko would expand access to quality medical services for hundreds of thousands of residents in Obingwa and beyond.
“Today, we have gathered to commission a secondary health care facility that will further expand our access to quality medical services for hundreds of thousands of our people in Obinwa local government area and beyond.
“And why do I say beyond? This place is very close to Aba, close to Osisioma, and even close to Ugwunagbo”.
The governor said his administration has continued to prioritise healthcare because of its central role in human development.
He said administration’s investments has helped restore public confidence in the state’s healthcare institutions and contributed to saving lives, particularly mothers and newborns.
Governor Otti charged the management of the hospital to ensure uninterrupted service delivery, insisting that the facility must operate round the clock, including Saturdays and Sundays.
The governor warned against vandalism, truancy and other forms of sabotage, saying the facility represents a major investment of taxpayers’ money and must deliver commensurate value to the people.
In his remarks, the Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe, commended Governor Otti for executing legacy projects across the state, assuring that the people of Obingwa and Abia would reciprocate the administration’s development efforts in the forthcoming general elections.
Earlier in his address, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, said the remodeled 80-bed Obingwa General Hospital represents the Otti administration’s commitment to building a modern, accessible and technology-driven healthcare system.
The commissioner noted that the facility was equipped with telehealth technology that would enable health workers to connect patients, including pregnant women at primary healthcare centres, with specialists for early detection of complications and timely intervention.
He said the digital platform, customised for Abia and capable of communicating in Igbo, would also enable Nigerian medical professionals in the diaspora to support patient care remotely, stressing that “the location or place of domicile should not be a barrier to quality healthcare access.”
Speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers of Obingwa, former council vice-chairman Eze Nwabiaraije Eneogwe commended Governor Otti for his purposeful and inclusive leadership, saying the administration had restored the people’s confidence in governance.
He, however, appealed for the construction of the Ukpakiri-Ntighauzo-Obingwa road to improve accessibility and boost development in the area.
