ABIA STATE GOVT TO BUILD TWO NEW GENERAL HOSPITALS MAY BAN NURSERY GRADUATION CEREMONY

ABIA STATE GOVT TO BUILD TWO NEW GENERAL HOSPITALS MAY BAN NURSERY GRADUATION CEREMONY

David Maduako –Umuahia

Abia State Government say she have completed 140 primary health care centres across the state , under the ‘Project Ekwueme’, with a good number of them awaiting to be equipped.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu made this public on Monday, at Government House Umuahia while addressing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.

According to him ,33 primary health care centres are to be equipped
and this he said will commence this week. Another 50 will be set for equipping , bringing the total number to about 100 before the end of September 2025.

The Commissioner informed that two cottage hospitals located at Abayi and Umuihe are ready for commissioning. He noted that the secondary health care centres located at Abayi and Umuihe hospitals, as well as the SDG Multi-Purpose Hospital and Cottage Hospital are already functional , providing services at full capacity.

Prince Kanu also announced that the state government is scoping two locations for the establishment of isolation centres for disease control in the state.
He revealed that one of the isolation centres is to be located at Infectious Disease Hospital, Aba, and the second, at Uzuakoli Leprosy Centre. He noted that the Abayi Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre are actually the state’s isolation centres.

The Information boss reported that there are no confirmed cases of communicable diseases of in the state, adding that the essence of the update was to inform the people of what the state government is doing in the health sector.

Prince Kanu disclosed that the enrolment in the State’s Health Insurance Scheme . government he said have surpassed the figure expected, adding that the enrolment figure for 2025 is put at 1,000 enrollees, this target have been surpassed , today the figure stands at 107,269 enrollees .

Contributing, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche who was present at the briefing said government is commencing the equipping of the newly renovated Primary Health Care Centres across the state

He observed that government’ started with 17, now 33 will be equipped within few weeks
. And tomorrow, being the 9th of September we will commence with Nkwoegwu at Umuahia North, and then Ogbodinibe in Umuhia South.
At the same time, another team will be at Ndawa and Lopkaukwu in Umunneochi, Prof. Uche stated.

He recalled, that 17 primary health centres had already been functionalised, adding that, the health ministry have the directive of the State’s Executives Council to add another 50 before the end of the month of September. He said that it is expected that before the end of the month of September 200 Health Care centres would have been completed

The Commissioner for Health informed that the Abia State Executive Council has approved the domestication of the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative, a project of the federal government to reduce maternal mortality across the country.

He said Abia is now one of the states where this project has been vetted, and a team from the Federal Ministry of Health are working with the State’s Ministry of Health on the project .

Professor Uche announced the approval of the State Executive Council to establish new general hospitals in Ohanko, Ukwa East, and Umunneochi added that a brand new general hospital would also be restablished in Okpualangwa to replace the one that once existed there.

He noted that works are ongoing at some general hospitals including, Okeikpe, Ikwuano, Obingwa among others. He announced that the state government is happy over the commendations given to the Governor Alex Otti led administration by medical consultants who met at Enugu state recently for their national annual conference ,

The Commissioner for basic Education Elder Good luck Ubochi disclosed that the state government’ is considering banning the graduation ceremony of Pre Nursery graduation ceremony due to the expenditures involved . According to him only primary 6 and SS3 students would be allowed to carry out graduation ceremony.
End .