By Ezeakukwu Emmanuel Nsoedo
Recently, the Hon Minister of Health, Prof Mahmoud Ali Pate paid a consequential visit to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi to mark the anniversary of their one-year relocation to the permanent site of the hospital; assess the level of development; commission some projects; and perform the groundbreaking ceremony of new projects. The Hon Minister more or less proclaimed that Prof Ugboaja came, saw, and conquered. Because of the vision Ugboaja enunciated, the Minister eloquently implied that the CMD is still conquering.
It was a great deal remarkable for Prof Ugboaja’s leadership acumen, and charisma, with his team to have engineered what was akin to a State visit for the Minister of Health. It was a visit planned and operationalized with precision, and endowed with colorful pageantry.
Following the Governor’s dinner on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the Governor’s Lodge at Awka, the Minister rested to commence a full day’s activities slated for Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
The Minister addressed the stakeholders affiliated with NAUTH. These included Traditional heads, Community leaders, Captains of Industries, and Academics, held at the Igwe Orizu ICT Center of the institution.
The CMD, Professor Ugboaja showed a detailed documentary that captured what NAUTH essentially had done relative to the espoused vision of making the hospital a destination point, and among the top three hospitals in Nigeria.
The Minister witnessed a systematic integrated development effort that made it possible to move to the permanent site of the hospital in 2023 from the temporary site. The visit of the Health Minister, Professor Pate was scheduled to coincide with the anniversary celebration of the commissioning of the site that saw the movement of the operations to the permanent.
In celebrating the anniversary of the commissioning, the remaining departments and units at the temporary site moved to the permanent site.
The Minister was very impressed with the manner and ways the CMD and his team harnessed the strength of the human resources of the institution and kept them motivated to realize the vision of taking the hospital to the desired height. Additionally, the partnership scheme that attracted the types of Chief Cletus Ibeto, Sir Emeka Offor, Chief Innoson Chukwuma, etc., was an incredible arrangement that complements the effort of Ugboaja and his team to accelerate infrastructural needs and equipment to realize the set of objectives to move the hospital to the desired place.
The Minister without mincing words concurred that the 10 year vision espoused by Ugboaja and his team are in line with the policy of the President Tinubu on developing a viable healthcare system to remove the incentive for medical tourism.
Having a vision without generating the means to practicalize it to a reality amounts to what is characterized derisorily as a pipe dream. Ugboaja not only possesses the leadership and charisma to mobilize his team and the entire staff to work in tandem towards a common objective, but he also has the wherewithal to unplug hidden fortunes, hence, the magic that produced so far the ambiance of a serene environment, systematic infrastructural development, digitalization of operations, magnificent equipment from the top of the line manufacturers, and upgraded support staff, etc, to ensure smooth running of the hospital.
A little bit of the founding of NAUTH would give better clarity to an assuming person on the odyssey of the hospital from a state institution to where it is today. In 1988, the Anambra State government through Edict number 10 created Anambra State University Technology Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.
To honor the former President of Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the federal government through Decree number 68 of 1992 renamed it Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital.
It has been about 36 years since the establishment of the noble institution in Nnewi, and many distinguished personalities had passed through the hospital as the CMD and other leadership positions.
The former leaders of the hospital may have labored to engineer a move to the permanent site but it was all wishful thinking, as nothing significant ever materialized toward settling at the permanent site.
Prof Ugboaja became the CMD in 2021. The permanent site at the time was a desolate place with overgrown bushes. There was no road, no water, no light, no building, except the building by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah and his Progressive members.
Today, no person except those who know and were witnesses to what was then would believe that everything was put together from 2021 to the present day; and more projects are ongoing. Commissioning of projects by the Minister of Health had not slowed activities at the permanent site.
For all the accomplishments in the short period of time, Prof Ugboaja and his team mounted the saddle of leadership in the core benefitting communities and the entire Anambra State should endeavor to show a measure of gratitude to the CMD and his team for the all-around excellent development in providing healthcare delivery in the state of the art facilities.