Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel , has endorsed plans by Private Investors to establish a world-class Medical City in the State to enhance health care delivery across the country and by extension, Africa.
Governor Emmanuel made the endorsement when a team from Thompson and Grace Development Corporation, United States of America, led by the Chief Executive Officer of the group, Dr. Isaac Amos, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Uyo.
The Governor expressed appreciation to the team for the choice of Akwa Ibom State for the project noting that it would provide training ground for capacity building in medicine while improving primary and secondary health care delivery system as well as relieve medical inadequacies for the African continent.
He commended the efforts of Akwa Ibom indigenes in drawing no fewer than eight foreign partners and some national institutions to carry out the project site assessment and described the venture as a strategic business based on trust, confidence and love for the state.
While acknowledging the economic impact of the project on the state, Mr Emmanuel said that in total support of the proposed Project, the State government would immediately commence arrangements to construct a spur from the Abak - Afaha Obong thoroughfare to the project site, maintaining that the template on other Foreign Direct Investment and the acquisition of land for projects would be sustained.
The State Chief Executive reteirated his administration's commitment to upgrade secondary health facilities to cater for basic medical needs, saying, "We are partnering with Project-Cure in Denver to upgrade our Teaching Hospitals , special medical equipments in about 25 containers are coming into the State", adding that "the equipments were ordered after carrying out need assessment across the State".
Earlier, the leader of the team, Dr. Amos, an indigene of the State, explained that the project, Thompson and Grace Medical City, is the first of its kind in Africa comprising Academic Medical District with 800 Bed Adult Specialty Medical Center, 400 bed Mother and Child Care Center, Research facilities and Medical University; Industrial District with 505MW Power Plant by Siemens, Water Plant, Data Plant, Pharmaceutical Plant and Biomedical Laboratories amongst other components.
He stated that the US $5billion project would be located at Afaha Obong, Abak Local Government Area on 500 acres of land, pointing out that about 120 acres has been acquired to kick-start the project as the design for the two hospitals has already been completed awaiting approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC), for the Medical University.
The medical expert further stressed that apart from offering possibility for innovative research in medicine and healthcare in Africa and delivering medical education with affordable health services of the highest quality, the Medical City would also provide jobs for about 35,000 people on completion and solicited the endorsement of the State Government to facilitate the processing of documents on acquisition of land for the project.
The CEO, who was accompanied by partners from Europe, Asia and America on the visit, expressed hope that by February, work would commence on the first phase of the project which include the Power Plant as they have already secured license from electricity regulatory agencies.
By Uwem Kerns
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