Preparations are on top gear for a working visit of the Coordinating Minister for Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH)’s permanent site, Anambra state.
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the NAUTH, Professor Joseph Ugboaja disclosed this Friday in a press briefing where he announced the Minister’s visit as he presented what his administration has been able to achieve since assumption of office in 2021.
Prof Ugboaja disclosed that the Minister’s visit would mark the final relocation to the permanent site of the health institution which would also witness the commissioning of completed projects, as the Minister would join the management and staff of the hospital to celebrate the first anniversary of project commissioning by the presidency at the permanent site.
“We have moved all the clinical services to the permanent site. Administration including my office and ancillary services will be the last to be relocated. Clinical wards formerly run at the temporary site have been relocated to their respective buildings with a full complement of modern support facilities.
“The Minister will also preside over the recognition of two of NAUTH’s principal stakeholders which include Dr Cletus Ibeto and Sir Emeka Offor, who will each have a structure named after them. Chief Arthur Eze will equally be honoured.
“The hospital will honour its founding members and recognize Senator Ifeanyi Ubah as well as the Governor of Anambra state, Prof Charles Soludo for their various contributions to the growth of the institution, “the CMD said.
He told journalists that relocation to the permanent site was a calculated effort and strong determination to actualize his mission and vision for the health institution.
“On assumption of office, my resolve was to move the hospital from the temporary site to the permanent site. And also, I have the vision to make NAUTH among the top three health institutions in Nigeria. It should be realized that the hospital has been at the temporary site for over thirty years. There were no good buildings, road network, adequate water supply, drainages, and indeed no adequate infrastructure, among other things.
“It is important to understand where I am coming from. I began my tenure as a CMD in 2021. During the COVID-19 epidemic, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah and the progressives wanted to invest in the hospital, I was among the people who begged him to build the structure here at the permanent site. It should be noted that the building was the first complete structure built in the hospital.
“I have already declared our vision to make NAUTH rank among the top three university teaching hospitals in Nigeria and beyond with at least 2,000 bed capacity. That is why there is an urgent need to achieve the vision. We harness the human and material resources, the various departments and units with the objective to realize the vision.
“We are desirous to compete with leading hospitals anywhere in Africa. Our environment is made friendly with the proper esthetics, trees, plants, and landscape in line with our dream hospital.
“As the infrastructure was being developed to satisfy our vision, we procured state-of-the-art equipment from such companies as General Electric to ensure consistency in line with where the hospital is going. We moved the hospital from analog operations to digitalization. Some of the staff members are still trying to master it, but it is a constant training till everyone has come to terms. And the hospital places a lot of premium in training and retraining.
“While we are developing the permanent site at a rapid speed, we made a deliberate decision to ensure a happy workforce by ensuring that their needs were met. Promotion of deserving workers was made, and those who applied for regularization of status were promptly granted. “We ensure that NAUTH will not experience work disruption as a result of not meeting the worker’s entitlement.
“One of the main facilities we have here is the oxygen plant. We have two oxygen plants that meet the needs of our hospital, and we can serve other hospitals. Our collaboration with the LNG has yielded two additional oxygen plants. We also have a well-piped oxygen line. Our production and distribution of oxygen is assured to meet the needs of other hospitals.
“The stakeholders we hold very dear are our external stakeholders. We have the traditional stakeholders, community stakeholders, and government agencies. HRH Igwe KON Orizu III has been the most consistent supporter of the hospital. Since I became the CMD, he has been to this permanent site not less than seven times to encourage us. Igwe Orizu built the ICT Center, which is the most magnificent structure in the entire hospital.
“The financial management is key to what we are doing. You must look for money. The public funding is very key, and we must deploy the money where it is earmarked to go. Our external stakeholders are also key to our success, despite the difficulties, ”Prof Ugboaja explained.
He praised Professor Pate, adding that the Minister was determined to see the reorganization of the public health system to be more efficient and effective.
He further noted that the Minister had attracted a lot of funding which he had deployed to improve the public health sector. He said that was one of the reasons he insisted that Prof Pate would visit the NAUTH.
He disclosed that the Minister would also conduct the ceremony to mark the establishment of the Regional Radio Diagnostic Center in NAUTH which the hospital was privileged to host for the entire South East geopolitical zone.
