Otti commissions remodelled Obingwa hospital, renames facility after late activist Ubani

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has commissioned the newly remodelled and digitally equipped 80-bed Obingwa General Hospital and renamed the facility after the late human rights activist, Chima Ubani.

The commissioning took place on Tuesday at Mgboko, headquarters of Obingwa Local Government Area, as part of the state government’s efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure and expand access to quality medical services.

Speaking at the event, Otti said healthcare remained central to his administration’s development agenda, adding that investments in the sector were aimed at restoring confidence in public health institutions and saving lives, particularly those of mothers and newborns.

According to him, the hospital would expand access to quality healthcare for residents of Obingwa and neighbouring communities, including people from Aba, Osisioma and other adjoining areas. He added that the facility had been equipped with digital data management systems, a modern theatre, eye-care units, observation rooms, upgraded laboratory and scan facilities, a healing garden and a renewable energy system.

“We have reached a new milestone in the effort to modernise our health institutions to reflect the spirit of this age,” Otti said, assuring residents that the hospital would operate round the clock, including weekends. He also directed medical personnel to provide equal attention to patients regardless of their social or economic status.

Meanwhile, the governor said the decision to rename the hospital after Ubani was in recognition of his courage, compassion and commitment to justice, democracy and the welfare of Nigerians. He described the late activist, a former Students’ Union President of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation, as “a mentor of the masses” who died pursuing the ideals he believed in.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, said the project demonstrated the administration’s commitment to building a future-ready healthcare system. He disclosed that the government was implementing 301 health infrastructure projects across the state, including the construction and equipping of 277 primary healthcare centres.

Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Abia State Hospitals Management Board, Dr Odochi Azubuike, said the hospital, originally commissioned in 2015, was inherited in a dilapidated condition but had now been transformed into a functional facility. She urged residents to take ownership of the hospital and protect it from vandalism.