May 14, 2018

The Chief Medical Director, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Prof. Anthony Igwegbe, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and ensure completion of the hospital’s permanent site.
Igwegbe made the appeal in a statement on Monday in Abuja after the Civil Society Roundtable on the State of Tertiary Health Service Sector in Nigeria organised by the League of Civil Society Groups.
He said that the completion of the hospital’s permanent site would help in improving health care delivery for Nigerians.
Igwegbe said the vision of the hospital was to reduce the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as improve on health care delivery.
He, however, said that development of the permanent site of the hospital, which began in 2013, had been slow due to paucity of funds.
“This is the only teaching hospital still operating in its temporary site in Nigeria. There is no adequate space and we have limited facilities to engage in a lot of retraining of staff and carrying out adequate research.
“Power has always been the problem; we don’t have any supply into the hospital. We have to rely on diesel and this is telling adversely on our expenditure. ‘’
The CMD, who decried poor budgetary allocation to the health sector, called for adequate funding, atmosphere conducive for work and security for the sector.
These, according to him, will go a long way in ensuring that the sector performs optimally to the country’s satisfaction.
He also urged the League of Civil Society Groups to help in advocacy to assist the hospital in areas of need.
Igwegbe urged striking Joint Health Workers to call off their action while negotiations with the Federal Government continued.