The Enugu State Government has announced the construction of a 250-bed, ultra-modern quaternary health facility to be known as the Enugu International Hospital.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, who announced this at the end of the Enugu State Executive Council meeting on Sunday, which was presided over by Governor Peter Mbah, said the approval for the construction of the hospital was approved at the meeting.
Obi explained that the construction of the hospital was in line with the administration’s promise to reverse the flow of medical tourism and position Enugu State as the preferred destination for business, investment, tourism and living.
According to him, besides providing excellent and highly specialised medical services, the Enugu International Hospital, which is situated in the heart of Enugu city, would serve as a citadel of medical research and training.
The commissioner said, “This means that tomorrow is finally here in the health sector because primary healthcare is being addressed, secondary healthcare is being addressed, tertiary healthcare is also being addressed.
“Now we are going to add quaternary healthcare to the scope, which simply means that an extension of tertiary care and advanced levels of medicine, which are highly specialised and not widely accessed, are now going to be available in Enugu in no distant time. So, medical tourism will reverse back to our environment.
“The Enugu International Hospital is going to come up at Rangers Avenue. So, it will be centrally located in Enugu and will be easily accessible from the international airport.
“It is going to be the type of place that will give excellent medical services, including research and training. It will be that type of hospital that people will no longer have any reason to leave the shores of Nigeria to go to for healthcare,” Obi explained.
On the issue of the Mpox outbreak in the country, the Commissioner said that the council discussed measures to checkmate the disease.
Previously known as Monkeypox, Obi explained that the disease has become a major international concern, adding that EXCO directed a scale-up of awareness campaign on the disease.
“Mpox has now become a disease of public health importance of international concern, and the government of Enugu State has had discussions on how to ensure that effective surveillance, control, and prevention of any upsurge of Mpox in the state will be put in place.
“The Ministry of Health is, therefore, working with the other health sector players, including the Akanu Ibiam International Airport’s Port Health Services, to ensure that Enugu citizens are aware, safe, and minimize their exposure to the Mpox,” he noted.