Abia: Otti upgrades Umunneato General Hospital to Specialist

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has approved the upgrading of the Umunneato General Hospital to a specialist hospital to serve the Abia North senatorial zone.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this in Umuahia while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti, noting that the Umunneato General Hospital would now be known as Abia State Specialist Hospital, Umunneato, after undergoing reconstruction and retrofitting. This brings the number of state-owned specialist hospitals in the state to three.

Kanu said that the development is in line with the state government’s strategic infrastructural development agenda of ensuring that every part of the state feels the impact of the development strides of the present administration. He stated, “This brings to three the number of state-owned specialist hospitals in the state, with each located in the three senatorial zones of the state; while ABSUTH serves Abia South, Abia Specialist Hospital Umuahia and its Annex at Amachara will serve Abia Central, and Umunneato will serve Abia North.

“This development underscores the high premium that the state government places on the health sector. The vision is to ensure that Abians have easy access to well-equipped hospitals and affordable healthcare.

“For this upgrade, the idea is to make sure that we have referral hospitals located in the three senatorial zones such that people need not travel too far to receive medical attention.”

The Commissioner disclosed that the ongoing retrofitting of two hundred primary health centres tagged ‘Project Ekwueme’ has achieved 55% completion with about 10 of them ready for commissioning. He also informed that the World Bank Impact Primary Health Centres project has commenced in most of the 67 primary health centres across the state, clarifying that the World Bank Impact project is different from the state government’s ‘Project Ekwueme’.

“This state has about 948 primary health centres, and Project Ekwueme started with 200 in the 184 wards in the first phase. The second phase will commence once the 200 PHCs are fully delivered,” he said.

In another development, the state government, together with the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), have jointly floated an SPV called ABTAN ENERGY LTD to enable them to tap into the rich oil and gas resources of the state.

Prince Okey Kanu said that the development is aimed at consolidating the business relationship between the state government and PETAN, disclosing that the state has about one hundred capped oil wells and that the move will provide the state government the unhindered opportunity to partake in the oil industry.

“If you recall, not too long ago, we reported that there was an agreement between the state government and PETAN. Now that move has gone a step further with the floating of this SPV that is meant to consolidate the business relationship between the state government and PETAN,” Prince Kanu stated. He noted that the state Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources has commenced a statewide field study of the solid mineral deposits in the state in order to determine the commercial viability and quantity of such critical mineral deposits in the state.

The Information Commissioner noted that the state has about 17 mineral resources and said that determining the quantities of the mineral deposits will enable relevant industries to set up in areas where the minerals are in commercial quantity.

The state information boss used the forum to warn members of the public, especially those who peddle falsehood in the name of opposition, to desist from such acts or be ready to face the full weight of the law in line with the Cybersecurity Act and Data Protection Act of the country.

While warning that it will no longer tolerate any act of falsehood aimed at misinforming and causing mischief among the populace, Prince Kanu said the state government has nothing to hide.

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