Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has flagged off the reconstruction of a 100 bed, Okpuala Ngwa General Hospital in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area.
He described the project as a major step towards restoring quality healthcare services to the area and reviving a facility of historical significance to the former Eastern Ngwa zone and the state at large.
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony, Governor Otti, lamented the long neglect of the public health facility in the region despite improved resources and technology.
He said that founding fathers of the state did their best in maintaining public health facilities that served the people, but expressed displeasure that their efforts were not consolidated as the facilities were allowed to decline.
“In the olden days, this used to be a major hospital in the whole of Abia State and the then Eastern Ngwa area.
“If our forefathers, with limited resources, were able to maintain hospitals like this, it is a shame that we all failed in our time with all the technology, education and money.
“And with what we have come here to do today(ground breaking), that’s why I insisted that I have to perform the foundation laying ceremony”, Governor Otti said.
The Governor also announced that general hospitals in Arochukwu and Obingwa LGAs have been completed and are awaiting inauguration, adding that the Okpuala Ngwa project was prioritised due to its strategic importance and would be delivered within record time.
He also said that portions of the hospital land allegedly acquired illegally had been recovered by the government.
“I want to sound a note of warning that every land belongs to the state, so those who want to head to court we will wait for them in court.
“You cannot steal government property and be pretending to be a big man. So we have taken back our land and this hospital.
“Like the Honorable Commissioner has told us, it’s going to be a state of the art hospital and we have a budget for it.
“We already have awarded it and the job has started; so there is no story and it will be done in record time”, Governor Otti said.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, said the project aligns with the administration’s healthcare transformation agenda aimed at ensuring each local government area has a functional general hospital.
Prof Uche explained that the 100-bed facility would include maternity and surgical wards, accident and emergency units, theatres, laboratories, radiology services, children’s ward, blood bank, ambulance services, and a general outpatient department.
The Commissioner added that eight general hospitals are currently under construction across the state, while five secondary healthcare facilities have already become operational.
He described the hospital as a legacy project with deep historical relevance to the people of Okpuala Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area.
