Abia govt to partner Hungarian firm over artificial para-medical equipment

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Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has given the go-ahead for the state to enter into discussion with a Hungarian company, Ortoprofil to set up a para-medic manufacturing plant in the state.

Ortoprofil is a Hungarian medical service provider with its own affiliate manufacturing custom-made, high-quality limb prostheses (lower limb and upper limb prostheses ranging from aesthetics to body-powered applications), electronic and mechanic wheelchairs and orthopedic/therapeutic shoes, insoles for flat-foot and diabetic foot.

This partnership was the outcome of a meeting at the weekend, between senior officials of the state government, led by the state governor and top officials of the Hungarian government, led by Mr. Gabor Kruss, Deputy Ambassador Embassy of Hungary, Nigeria.

The Hungarian delegation, which was received by the governor of his Isialangwa South country home had also offered the state government various propositions in different sectors of interest to collaborate and partner with the state government, ranging from energy, health, education, agriculture, sports, provision of portable drinking water among others.

After presentations by Ambassador Kruss and Judith Beres, the Economic Counselor Embassy of Hungary, Nigeria, the Abia team led by the state commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Industry, Dr. Chimezie Ukaegbu deliberated on the different options after which the decision was made to go ahead and partner Ortoprofil.

Ratifying the agreement, the state governor, Alex Otti noted, “The first time we met, we talked about cooperation in the area of healthcare development. I know that you spent over a million dollars retrofitting St. Charles Hospital in Anambra. We will be very interested in that kind of cooperation.

“The Ortoprofil manufacturing plant has been approved. The details will be worked out. I will direct the Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Industry to liaise with the Commissioner for Lands, who is not here right now so that we can provide the half hectare of land for them anywhere they choose.

“That would be some form of partnership. We would provide the land without asking for payment for it. That will be our contribution. From what is stated here, they have 1.5 million dollars to invest. I’m actually looking at a company that will produce prosthetics for upper and lower limbs. I believe they can also produce a whole lot of things including shoes or raw materials.

“For us, there are two important things, the production that is happening here and the creation of jobs for our people. The production increases our GDP and hopefully our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).”

Otti said the government would also be looking at opportunities in the area of education, adding “The area of scholarship is also something we want to take advantage of. We have a lot of our young people with various initiatives, they are inventors and very innovative in thinking even if they didn’t go to proper school. We will encourage them to go to school. They are better inventors when they go to school.”

The Hungarian team was Mr.Chris Eruba, project Manager Embassy of Hungary, Nigeria, while other members of the Abia team, were Commissioners for Education, Prof Uche Eme-Uche; and Health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo.

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