The Anglican Bishop of Amichi Diocese and Proprietor of College of Nursing Sciences, Diocesan Hospital Amichi, Anambra State, Rt Rev Ephraim Ikeakor, has revealed that it took the intervention of Mr. Peter Obi, as the then governor of the state to rehabilitate their hospital, which was, according to him, dilapidated and overrun by bushes.

The cleric also stated that with Obi’s financial intervention, they were able to set up their School of Nursing Sciences, which he said has today been upgraded to become a College of Nursing Sciences.

Ikeakor made the revelation when Obi paid him a courtesy visit at the College in Amichi and made a donation of N10 million to the College of Nursing Sciences, to help in the training of nurses.

He recalled how the hospital was almost abandoned for years until Obi gave them the seed support with which they revived the hospital and also started building a school of nursing sciences.

In a statement issued by Michael Jude Nwolisa, the media aide to Obi, he said: “Looking back at the very significant progress they have made, Ikeakor said I know that Mr Peter Obi will be very proud of how far we have come.”

“We are grateful to him for all his support to us from the outset. We are also happy that we did not waste his money. His financial support has immensely helped us in transforming this health facility from a dilapidated hospital to the big institution it is today.”

He continued: “We have grown from a school of nursing sciences to a college of nursing sciences. In June last year, we got accreditation from the National Board for Technical Education, and will now be processing our admissions through the Joint Admission Matriculation Board. We are grateful to Peter Obi, who, with his financial support, started this wonderful journey with us.”

Appreciating the nursing students for their vital roles in the primary health sector, Obi stated that they are the foundation of healthcare in any nation. He encouraged them to continue to take their education and training seriously while reassuring them that they were on the right path to becoming responsible citizens who would contribute to a better nation.

Writing further on his X platform handle, the Labour Party (LP) presidential standard bearer in the 2023 general election, said: “I was happy to visit the College of Nursing Sciences, Amichi and School of Nursing, Iyienu Hospital in Ogidi, where I presented each of them with a cheque of N10 million to help them in the training and education of nurses.

“I have always advocated for the training of healthcare professionals, especially nurses, who play vital roles at the primary healthcare level, and whose contributions are very critical to the growth of our health sector.

There are concerns that there will be an acute shortage of nurses both locally and globally, which our trained nurses can fill up while providing adequate care for our teeming population.

“I thank the voluntary agencies for partnering the government to improve our health and education sectors. I also appreciate the proprietors, management teams, and teachers of these health institutions for their efforts in ensuring that we have quality and well-trained healthcare professionals.

“By our continuous investment in our critical areas of development, we will be able to move our nation forward and build the new Nigeria we all look forward to.” (THISDAY)

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