“I have come to the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, Orlu to deliver 100 adjustable beds and other high grade medical equipments. This recent donation is from the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) Abuja. The gesture from OSSAP-SDGs was intended to promote Goal 3 of the SDGs”.
Above were the remarks by the Special Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodimma on SDG and Humanitarian Services, Hon. Christina Ude during the presentation of beds and other medical equipment to the hospital.
The 3rd goal of the Sustainable Development Goals is that of sustainance of good health and promotion of the well-being of people at all ages by 2030.
In his quest and commitment to tackle health sector and other social deficits in Imo State, His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodimma established the office of Sustainable Development Goals and Humanitarian Services.
According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on SDG and Humanitarian Services, Ude, the governor has made great progress in the health sector against several leading causes of death and diseases including decline in infant and maternal mortality rates and combating the covid pandemic.
Presenting beds and other medical equipments to the Chief Medical Director of the Imo State Teaching Hospital, Orlu, Dr. Ifeanyi Nwamba (CMD) , Princess Ude who disclosed that her office, handles both the issues of Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Services.
Princess Ude disclosed that humanitarian services under her portfolio includes the handling of the SIP ( Social Investment Programs) which include GEEP – ( Government Enterprise Empowerment Programs), the Home Grown School Feeding Program, the N-POWER and the Conditional Cash Transfer programme.
Speaking with newsmen about the Social Investment Programme, Hon. Ude has this to say, “When I came in, we were only paying about nine (9) Local Governments in Imo State out of the 27 Local Governments. But I can tell you that under the leadership of His Excellency Dist. Sen. Hope Uzodinma, we’ve been able to enroll all the 27 Local Governments; this means that when next payment is going on, it is going to be across board.
“Secondly, we have about 16,000 on our payroll but we are working so hard and will in a few months from now, pay about 80,000 people here in Imo State.
“I came into office on Feb 26th 2020 and since then we have through a sustainable process made about four (4) payments to thousands of women in the state and we will resume payments to people in a bid to sustain them.
Conducting the Special Adviser round the medical complex, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Ifeanyi Nwamba poured encumiums on the governor saying that, “I met a horrible situation when I resumed work here as the Chief Medical Director of Imo State University Teaching Hospital.
“I want to say a special thanks to His Excellency Dist. Sen. Hope Uzodinma for his wisdom towards the total overhaul and renovation of the dilapidated buildings in this environment. Dr. Nwamba said that when the Governor came on board, he contacted him as a Doctor trained outside Nigeria on ways by which they can effectively revamp the Imo State University Teaching Hospital.
Continuing, the CMD said: “For the sake of posterity, it might interest you to know that since 2004 when we had this place, it hasn’t been renovated; even the hospital beds are more than 10 years and all rotten.
“But the Governor came, we are happy and the management is happy too as work is ongoing to restore the glory of this hospital.”
On what Imo people will expect from her going forward, Hon. Christina Ude answered thus, ” I want to let Imolites know that my boss His Excellency Dist. Sen. Hope Uzodinma have the people at heart. For instance, he was the one that instructed that we capture the whole of the 27 Local Governments. This shows his openness and concern for the people. I want to ask Imolites to expect great things from us as we are concerned to take our state to the next level.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Prince Eze Ugochukwu, who was present at the occasion, expressed satisfaction with the renovation works and thanked Governor Uzodimma for restoring the bouyancy and vibrancy in the Teaching Hospital.