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The Imo State House of Assembly on Wednesday adopted a motion urging the state government to initiate urgent steps to upgrade the state Specialist Hospital, Umuguma Owerri.
Worried by the dilapidated nature of the Specialist Hospital, Owerri, and other health facilities, the member representing Owerri Municipal in the State Assembly, Hon. Solomon Anukam has called for the upgrade of the Health facility to a more modern internationally based practices
Anukam said that the hospital was “grappling with inadequate infrastructure, personnel and equipment even as a standard hospital, let alone a specialist one.”
He said as a result of the challenges, the hospital had become disadvantaged in the competitive health service delivery sector.
He said however that the state government alone could not provide everything needed by the citizenry.
He, therefore, called on wellmeaning Imo indigenes to support the initiative by providing the required modern facilities for the hospital.
“Be it resolved by this House to urge the governor to direct the Commissioner for Health to search for Imo wealthy citizens at home and in diaspora to partner with the state government to provide necessary infrastructure to upgrade the services of the hospital,” the motion read in part.
Supporting the motion, Arthur Egwim (Ideato North APC), called for the concessioning of some stateowned hospitals to private bodies to manage, pointing out that Public Private Partnership had become the order of the day.
Paul Emeziem of Onuimo (APC) suggested that the House embarked on a needs assessment visit to the hospital.
The Speaker, Dr Collins Chiji (Isiala Mbano APC), ruled in favour of the motion.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Paschal Okoli, representing Orlu State Constituency, announced his defection from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the plenary session.
