Enugu State Government says it’s embarking on the construction of a 300-bed ultramodern quaternary health facility to be known as the Enugu International Hospital.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, disclosed that while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Peter Mbah at the weekend.
He said besides providing excellent and highly specialised medical services, the Enugu International Hospital, which would be sited in the heart of Enugu city, would serve as a citadel of medical research and training.
Pix- Gov Mbah
“This means that tomorrow is finally here in the health sector because primary healthcare is being addressed, secondary healthcare is being addressed, tertiary healthcare is also being addressed.
“Now we are going to add quaternary healthcare to the scope, which simply means that an extension of tertiary care and advanced levels of medicine, which are highly specialised and not widely accessed, are now going to be available in Enugu in no distant time. So, medical tourism will reverse to our environment.
“The Enugu International Hospital is going to come up at Rangers Avenue. So, it will be centrally located in Enugu, and will be easily accessible from the international airport.
“It is going to be the type of place that will give excellent medical services, including research and training. It will be that type of hospital that people will no longer have any reason to leave the shores of Nigeria to go to for healthcare,” Prof Obi stated.
The Commissioner also informed that the meeting discussed measures to checkmate the Mpox disease, previously known as Monkeypox, which he explained had become a major international concern, adding that EXCO directed a scale-up of awareness campaign on the disease.
Pix- Commissioner for Works& Infrastructure, Gerald Otiji(L) Commissioner for Finance(Dr. Nathaniel Urama( 2nd L) Commissioner for Health,Prof Ikechukwu Obi, Attorney -General and commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley Udeh.
“Mpox has now become a disease of public health importance of international concern and the government of Enugu State has had discussions on how to ensure that effective surveillance, control, and prevention of any upsurge of Mpox in the state will be put in place.
“The Ministry of Health is, therefore, working with the other health sector players, including the Akanu Ibiam International Airport’s Port Health Services, to ensure that Enugu citizens are aware, safe, and minimize their exposure to the Mpox,” the Commissioner concluded.
The State Government also announced the constitution of a broad-based committee to ramp up the implementation of the Enugu State Geological Information System Service Law 2024.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, said the intent was to enhance the value of land holding in Enugu State, as those who own a flat in the city or a piece of land in the village will be able to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy to make their property bankable because the entire state would be captured digitally.
“With the implementation of the Enugu State Geological Information System, the era of applying for Certificate of Occupancy and it will take months to handle will be a thing of the past, because everything about land administration in the state will be handled digitally and electronically. This is a high-end technology and we are not talking about what is far-fetched, but about what is already being implemented. So, EXCO simply made approval that will strengthen and expedite the implementation.
“So, very soon, it will be fully on stream and operational. This will not just transform land holding and administration, but even everything that relates to data concerning land. And all these are geared towards the Governor’s vision to eradicate poverty and also connected to growing our GDP from $4.4bn to $30bn,” Udeh said.
Author: Maureen Ikpeama