Abia State Health Commissioner, who is a professor of Medicine, Dr. Enoch Uche, has unveiled the state-proposed quaternary healthcare initiative project tagged “Abia Medical City,” which is located on a 200-hectare piece of land.
Speaking to journalists during an inspection of the site at Owerrinta in Isiala Ngwa South Council, he put the cost of the project at $1.3 billion and the completion time at 24 months, listing its scope and facilities therein.
Formal commencement of the works is to be flagged off by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his proposed visit to the state next month/June.
The Commissioner said that the project is birthed to transform Abia State into an advanced regional medical services hub that would position the state as Nigeria’s most comprehensive healthcare ecosystem when it is completed and taken off.
“The Medical City project is designed in line with global standards and is to have in place a 1,000-bed ultramodern hospital, a state-of-the-art oncology center, a digital diagnostics hub, surgical and transplant facilities with capacity to handle complex procedures such as robotic and organ surgeries.”
Other facilities the Commissioner disclosed would be in the City Complex are: a five-star hotel, a step-down hospital, luxury accommodations for patients and their families, including a helipad for air ambulance.
The project will also have facilities that can cater to the tourism aspect of healthcare, including an ultra-modern oncology center, which is one of the reasons people go outside Nigeria to seek cancer treatment.
“The idea is that when people are sick and come to the Medical City to seek care, their families can come and have a medical holiday.”
Professor Uche added that the Medical City will serve as a top-tier training institution, partner with international universities, and cater to students and residents from within and outside Abia State.
“This is going to be the apogee of a training institution where students will be exposed to the highest level of care, and beyond this, research institutes will be affiliated with the best hospitals and universities in the world.”
Expectedly, the project will reduce the $1.6 billion dollars estimatedly being expended annually by Nigerians seeking medicare abroad (medical tourism) and curb the migration abroad by medical personnel (Japa syndrome) due to inadequate facilities in the country, among other reasons.
Professor Uche added that the Medical City will serve as a top-tier training institution, partner with international universities, and cater to students and residents from within and outside Abia State.
“This is going to be the apogee of a training institution where students will be exposed to the highest level of care and beyond this, research institutes will be affiliated with the best hospitals and universities in the world.”
According to the Commissioner, with this Medical City in place, “Abia will have a place where our children can be trained, where our old and young people can be looked after in an ecosystem that supports healthy living.”
It was gathered that the project is established under a Develop, Build, and Transfer (DBT) arrangement and is being handled by MKP International, who is said to be a globally reputed turnkey hospital building expert, while the state government is contributing critical assets like land and goodwill that would attract investors, partners, and financiers.
