Imo Deputy Speaker, Iwuanyanwu Visits St. Mary’s Joint Hospital, Bemoans Poor State Of Medical Facilities

Posted on May 12, 2021

NJOKU MACDONALD OBINNA

In keeping with his social contract with the electorate, who voted him into office during the 2019 general elections, by ensuring robust, effective and people-oriented representation with human face, Imo Deputy Speaker and Member representing Nwangele Constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu, paid an unscheduled visit to St. Mary’s Joint Hospital, AmaIgbo, where the proactive and egghead State Legislator was taken round the medical facilities.

Regrettably, a once premier hospital, which used to be the pride and toast of medical centres in Imo State in the early 60s, has today become a shadow of itself as facilities at the medical centre starting from dysfunctional surgery room, condemned maternity foams, rusty corrugated zinc and leaking roof, which is at the mercy of both the sunshine and rainfall; dirty and disgusting toilets, environment overtaken by grasses and poorly dressed health workers, who looked abandoned by past and successive administrations in the state.

Beaming our media lens inside a number of the offices and medical wards, it was irritating to see health registers in discrepancies as a stockpile of medical records are indiscriminately kept in old wooden bookshelves with complete absence of state of the arts facilities befitting medical operations in the 21st century as one wonders why the immediate past House of Assembly Member, Ugonna Ozuruigbo, failed to give a face-lift attention to the hospital when he held sway as Imo Deputy Speaker.

From the foregoing, the Imo Deputy Speaker, Sir Amara Chyna Iwuanyanwu, KSC, bemoaned the poor state of health facilities at the St. Mary’s Joint Hospital Amaigbo, Nwangele LGA, while accusing previous administrations of total negligence of the first Indigenous hospital in Nwangele, where neighbouring towns across the state came to for medical attention: A hospital which always prays not to have emergencies since there are little or no medical facilities on ground to attend to such emergencies.

Meanwhile, one of the obviously enraged health workers, who spoke on a telephone interview with the condition of anonymity, said with a sigh, underscoring a general sense of disappointment, lamented the poor welfare packages of the health workers and general condition of living, while calling on the duo of Chief Ozurigbo Ugonna and Rt. Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu for urgent intervention and possible renovation.

In keeping with the 3R Mantra of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Recovery of the Shared Prosperity Government under Senator Hope Uzodinma, Rt. Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu with some sigh of relief promised to draw the attention of the relevant state authorities to urgently come to the rescue of the foremost St. Mary’s Joint Hospital AmaIgbo built in the 1950s.

Responding to the pledge and remarks made by the Deputy Speaker, Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Ewuzie, alongside the Matron, Mrs. Genevieve Nnorom and Sister in charge of the medical centre, Rev. Sis. Ofoma, thanked the state legislator for his proactive and responsive leadership, especially, his show of love in picking up the medical bills of the victims of Nkwommiri Market road accident even as he has taken further steps to address the challenge of the poor state of health facilities at the St. Mary’s Joint Hospital, AmaIgbo, Nwangele LGA.