Enugu International Hospital and Mbah’s Unprecedented Delivery in Tertiary Healthcare

By Dr Reuben Onyishi
(Ugoachataberu)

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And He called the things that be not as though they were. He spoke the word and the word became flesh. That is God Almighty in whose image and likeness we are made. If we understand that God calls the things that be not as though they were, we can command the mountains to be removed and we are obeyed. Who can dare! Who can dare to do the unheard things by the spoken word mixed with faith? Peter Ndubuisi Mbah of Enugu State is daring. Indeed, he is a mighty man of valour in the order of David, who dared the giant,Goliath of Gath, and brought him down with a catapult. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Mbah is a great thinker. He is highly cerebral and creative. The firstlings of his heart is the firstling of his hand, as Shakespeare would say. There is no tree Mbah points that he would not hue down. He has the faith; he neither waver nor cave in before apparent impossibilities. He confronts difficult situations with air of fait accompli. Indeed, Mbah is a lion.

Who would have thought that the Internally Generated Revenue of Enugu State under Mbah’s watch would grow to N406 billion in 2025, targeting N800 billion in 2026; who would believe that it is possible, given the humongous financial outlay associated with them for a government whose state is tagged civil-service to build 267 Smart schools, 260 type 2 hospitals, birth Enugu Air, revamp already dead assets like UPPL, Hotel Presidential, ICC, Niger gas, Sunrise Flour Mills; contemplate the New Enugu Smart City; build the transport interchange terminals and the CNG buses thereof. Alas! I mention no more.

Besides the type 2 hospitals spread in the 260 wards in the state, and the revamping of the secondary healthcare system by rebuilding and re-equipping the general hospitals, and the type 3 hospitals, Mbah’s Midas Touch extended to the tertiary healthcare system in Enugu State in a mighty way. Eyes have not seen,neither has it entered the hearts of men what Peter Ndubuisi Mbah prepares for the tertiary healthcare system in Enugu State. Besides the overhaul of the entire medical facilities in Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT)Teaching Hospital at Parklane, Enugu, building new structures and bringing in state-of-the -art equipment to deal with tertiary healthcare needs, leading to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria increasing the number admissible in Medicine and Surgery in the university to 350, arguably the highest in any state university in Nigeria, Mbah has repositioned the teaching hospital to handle complex medical questions, making it one of the best teaching hospitals in Nigeria.

This spirit of excellence and superlative delivery is also extended to the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences(SUMAS) at Igbo-Eno, Nsukka. The College of Medicine at the university was upgraded to a teaching hospital with full accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC), under Mbah’s watch, the implication being that the college of medicine is fit for the purpose with regard to structures and equipment on ground to deliver tertiary healthcare needs, quality teaching and adequate medical facilities. So, it means that besides the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in the state, which, however, belongs to the federal government, Enugu now has two worldclass teaching hospitals. Thanks to the Mbah administration.

But that was not enough for the governor. There was yet a level to which healthcare in Enugu had not attained. Our people still go to India, Uk, US, Germany and so on for medical tourism. Perhaps, Africa had yet to attain the high standard and status for medical tourism. The excellent touch of perfection in medical deliverables had yet to find its voice in Africa. Mbah would not rest until this status is attained in Enugu State. How possible could that be? This involves the highest level of medical specialisation, involving complex procedures, equipment and specialised medical team. How do we attain this status, assembling worldclass experts in medical specialisation? How do we deal with the expensive equipment? These are the discouraging questions. But with Mbah, discouragement ironically offers the springboard to possibilities.

The governor would set about assembling the expertise in the Diaspora and bring in these high-cost equipment, to cater for complex medical issues in the field of say cardiology, oncology, surgical specialisation like cardothoracic surgery, neurosurgery; endocrinology, pathology, and so on. What this means is that such cases as we sought abroad is now in Enugu with the birthing of the Enugu International Hospital situated at Rangers Avenue, now fully completed, awaiting commissioning.

By building this hospital, Mbah has made Enugu State a medical and tourism hub in African. Besides the influx of people in Enugu on medical tourism and the economic implications, this is also a foreign exchange earner for the country and the state. What we look for in Sokoto is now in our shokoto. It also means that you need not bother about the high cost of medical tourism abroad. The procurement of visas, air tickets and travel expenses are completely expunged. Yet you get the same medical value right here in Enugu State. This is possible because here is a Governor who is ready to unleash the state’s resources on development, doing extraordinary things in a way that humbles the learned and amazes the simple. The huge capital outlay could have discouraged any other governor, but with Mbah, there is no holding back resources on projects that would benefit the people.

It takes a large heart to do the things Mbah is doing in Enugu State. Enugu under Mbah is thinking ahead in developmental trajectories and transformation. The other day, the state commissioned a DNA and Forensic Centre at Godfrey Okoye University. The state also came tops in the rating of fiscal viability in the country, and recently was adjudged the best improving state in the Philips Consulting state governance momentum index. All this points to a leadership that is taking the state to high development and transformative high pedestals. And this is morning on a creation day. Mbah has just spent three years in office. Who knows what is to expect in the future? Many thanks to the best Governor Enugu ever had.