From Steve Oko, Umuahia
The Federal Government, will on Sunday, October 11, commission a 50-bed ultra -modern isolation centre with a functional molecular laboratory fully built and equipped by Concerned Abia Professionals.
The isolation centre is domiciled at the premises of the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Umuahia.
According to a press statement by the group, the project will be commissioned by the Minister of State for Health, Senator Adeleke Mamora.
The statement signed by one of the group’s Project Implementation Committee members, Mrs. Mary Ikoku, gave the time of the event to be hosted by Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu as 12:00 noon.
According to the statement, the aim of the project is to ensure that Abia citizens get adequate emergency healthcare services in the event of a pandemic as well as to guarantee the state’s readiness for any eventuality from COVID-19 pandemic.
“The health facility will also assist the state government in the fight against the pandemic”, the statement added.
Dignitaries expected to grace the occasion are Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; former Speaker ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa; and Dr. Alex Otti.
Others are representatives from Abia-American Health Systems Inc., Abia State National Association of North America, among other organisations.
The Abia Care Centre project, according to the statement, is dedicated to all those who have lost their lives during the pandemic.
“The general public are cordially invited to witness the commissioning of the 50-bed ultra-modern isolation centre,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Project Initiator, Ngozi Ekeoma, said, “this project is a clear demonstration of the deep love we have for our state. This project presents to all of us a benchmark for the replication of many more of this type of partnerships for the betterment of our people.”
She commended the support received so far from Abia State indigenes, saying that her interactions in the cause of executing the project had shown that the indigenes were willing to participate in the state’s development.
“May this also encourage us to work with government to create enablers that would help us bring our wealth home. As they say, Ka Aku ru ulo..,” Ekeoma stated.
On his part, the Project Implementation Committee Chairman, Johnson Chukwu, said: “Initially, we contemplated setting up a temporary tent. We, however, decided against it for a permanent structure that will not only serve for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, but will also be deployed to cater for other medical services in future, even after the pandemic.”
