The Abia State Government has completed the remodelling of a General Hospital, Obingwa Local Government Area.
According to the government, the hospital is aimed at transforming into an ultra-modern hospital equipped with AI-enabled equipment, Telehealth, and Electronic Medical Records.
The Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya-Uche, said the project was in line with Governor Alex Otti’s vision to make quality healthcare accessible to people in rural and suburban areas will be commissioned on Tuesday.
He added that the facility now has consultation rooms, a viewing gallery for the operating room, modern wards, and all the basic facilities required in a modern general hospital.
The Commissioner noted that the hospital was not newly built, but was previously dysfunctional and “at best, a habitation for rodents and reptiles”.
“Rather than demolish it, His Excellency approved a complete remodelling. What was here before has now been transformed into a modern, ultra-modern healthcare facility,”he said.
Also speaking the CEO of the Abia State Hospitals Management Board (HMB), Dr. Dochi Azubuike, said the hospital is moving from analogue to digital systems.
She disclosed that the facility is equipped with AI-enabled devices, including a digital stadiometer that measures blood pressure, pulse, height, weight and BMI, and automatically uploads data to a cloud-based archive. The device has also been customized to greet patients in Igbo.
“This is what His Excellency is doing not just building robust, future-ready healthcare, but making it people-friendly and contextually appropriate so our people will embrace it,”Dr. Azubuike said.
She added that the hospital will be linked to Primary Health Centres in surrounding communities to strengthen referrals.
“Complicated cases can be monitored from here before transfer, and health workers in remote areas can get support from more experienced staff here,”she explained.
Dr. Azubuike said the hospital will offer primary, secondary and specialized care including Eye, Dental, Radiology, and a state-of-the-art Laboratory with auto-analyzers.
She added that the facility also has a High-Dependency Unit close to ICU standards to handle emergencies.
“The most important thing is that this is healthcare for our people. Someone who is sick here will not need to travel to FMC Umuahia or Enugu. With proper preventive care here, referrals to tertiary centres will be reduced,” she said.
On manpower, Dr. Azubuike said nurses have been trained on BLS Resuscitation and laboratory scientists are being trained to operate the new equipment.
She stressed that Governor Otti has approved the employment of more healthcare workers.
The CEO also noted that the state is making healthcare affordable through Health Insurance and training workers on compassionate care through the Abia Health Initiative.
