NEWS
Strategic Health Sector Breakthrough in Abia as LDS Church Donates 1.5 Tesla MRI Scanner as Gov. Otti’s Reforms Drive Medical Transformation, Insurance Enrollment Surges, and Global Partnerships Expand Care Access
The Abia State Government has recorded another major milestone in its ongoing healthcare transformation agenda as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner to the state, further strengthening diagnostic capacity across public health institutions.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday at Government House, Umuahia, while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
He said that, it is in recognition of the massive transformation going on in the health sector of the state that the church made the donation.
According to the Commissioner, “The donation, which will complement the medical services being offered in state-of-the-art medical facilities across the state will also boost medical diagnoses in the state.
“This gesture is in line with the Governor’s vision for other state-of-the-art medical facilities to improve the quality of their service offerings through global health collaborations.
“The MRI scanner will be situated at Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba,“ Prince Kanu stated.
Beyond infrastructure, the state is also witnessing remarkable progress in healthcare access through its insurance programme.
The Commissioner disclosed that the Abia State Health Insurance Scheme (ABSHIS) has recorded 157,462 new enrollees, saying that the number was so as of Friday last week.
He noted that, “This is in line with the vision of the Governor to provide healthcare access with financial protection for Abians,“
In further demonstration of the state’s commitment to accessible and quality healthcare, the Commissioner for Health, Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, announced a strategic collaboration with the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) to deliver a comprehensive free medical outreach across the state.
The outreach, scheduled to hold between April 12th and 17th, 2026, is expected to provide critical medical services, including surgeries and specialist consultations. Residents have been encouraged to take full advantage of the initiative.
He informed that the general surgeries and most of the medical consultations will hold at the Aba General Hospital, whereas the eye care surgeries and consultations will be at the Abia Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia.
He added that there would also be a training arm where health workers will receive training from the experts that would be coming from the U.S. to further enhance the human resource capacity of the Ministry of Health.
Reinforcing the impact of the administration’s healthcare reforms, Prof. Uche highlighted a recent life-saving medical success at a retrofitted primary healthcare centre in Ohiya, demonstrating the growing capability of grassroots health facilities.
The Commissioner, who announced that the healthcare reform project of Governor Otti is yielding results, recalled that, disclosing that a woman with complications and seizure (eclampsia) was delivered of a twin babies in a PHC.
“Just recently, at Ohiya, the primary health care centre which was retrofitted by His Excellency, a medical feat, so to say, occurred.
“A woman with a complicated obstetric condition, known as eclampsia, with twin pregnancy.
“Eclampsia is a very life-threatening condition that is characterized by the presence of protein in urine, high blood pressure, and convulsion fits, and is usually one of the causes of maternal mortality and infant mortality. These cases, before now, there is no way you can handle them in the primary health care centre.
“But because now we have labour rooms that have oxygen, they have all the equipment, even the resuscitation for infants, when they are born in that kind of condition.
“Of course, what happened was that a doctor was around and he quickly delivered the woman.
“Because the cure for the treatment of eclampsia anywhere in the world is to stop the seizures and deliver the woman. Once you deliver the woman, the fits will stop. And that’s exactly what happened. If we were to wait to transfer her from that place, perhaps something could have happened.
“And we’re talking about the lives of three people, two babies and their mother. It’s just to show that the refurbishment, the renovation of these primary health centres, and placing modern equipment, life-saving equipment in them, is a well-thought-out plan,“ Prof. Uche stated.
The latest developments underscore a growing synergy between government reforms, international collaborations, and faith-based support, positioning Abia State as an emerging hub for quality and ac
cessible healthcare delivery in Nigeria.