By Jeff Agbodo

ABAKALIKI- The Chief Medical Director of David Umahi Teaching Hospital (DUFUH), Uburu, Ebonyi State, Professor Uzoma Agwu, has said that out of 8,000 applied for employment two months ago at the hospital, 323 applicants passed and were employed.

She said that many people applied for administrative positions where only one or two people were needed, saying that the hospital needed more manpower to provide adequate healthcare in the hospital.

Professor Agwu, who disclosed this during the press briefing to mark the third anniversary of the hospital, established it with state-of-the-art facilities to end medical tourism in the country.

She noted that power was the major problem militating against the health institution, as the hospital spent a huge amount of money on fueling the generating set to power the equipment, providing light for the patients, and appealing for the provision of solar energy to support the existing power in the facility.

“The progressive journey at DUFUTH has, however, not been without challenges. Inadequate funding, high maintenance costs, and serial power outages top the list of barriers standing in DUFUTH’s way to excellence. There is also a myriad of other challenges, ranging from staffing challenges to accommodation and mobility issues for staff.

” These challenges may appear daunting, but not surmountable with the collaboration of all. As we all know, Rome was not built in a day.

” While honouring its past and looking to the future, the institution’s management stands together in gratitude for the tireless efforts of its various stakeholders, including His Excellency Engr. Chief David Umahi for his unflagging fatherly presence and sworn dedication to the progress of the hospital. We also pay tribute to our supervising Ministry led by Prof Ali Pate, our host community, patients, stakeholders and partners.

“However, as we celebrate these successes, we also acknowledge the challenges that hinder our centres’ optimal functioning. To unlock the full potential of the centre and its comprehensive suite of maternal care services, we humbly request your support in addressing the following critical needs:

“Power Supply: Power is needed in a hospital of this nature more than any other place. With the digitization and automation of almost everything/equipment in the hospital, absence of power in the hospital cripples healthcare services.

” From the retrieval of a patient’s folder from the computer at the health records on presentation at the hospital, to laboratory/radiological investigations, surgery, delivery, to the premature babies in the neonatal incubators, the jaundiced baby on phototherapy to the cancer patients who need radiotherapy etc, power is needed to operate the machines and provide light. Apart from non-availability of this power in the hospital from the public power supply, its epileptic availability is also outrageously exorbitant for the social sector like hospital to afford.

” Moreso, most of the heavy equipment in teaching hospitals require a lot of energy to function. Generator sets are very expensive and the price of diesel has hit the sky. More so, generators cannot run for many hours non-stop, else it will break down. For the MRI machine of this hospital to remain functional, it has to be on 24 hours (whether patients are using it or not) either on a generator set or public power supply. You can imagine the huge cost.

“Upgrade of the Solar Power System. The current solar installation is insufficient. We seek an upgrade to a 300KVA capacity to guarantee uninterrupted power supply for life saving equipment and air conditioning systems. Connection to the National Power Grid will also serve as back-up and support.
Expansion of our ward complex to accommodate the growing demand for our services.

“Mobility: Provision of 2 coaster buses to convey commuters from Abakaliki and other destinations to DUFUTH and 3 shuttle buses for shuttle services from the hospital gate to the MCC to ease transportation difficulties for staff and patients.

“As a premier healthcare institution with over 40 active departments, DUFUTH is poised to provide top-notch medical services to the people of Ebonyi State and beyond and most importantly, to end medical tourism in Nigeria.

“I am proud to announce that DUFUTH has metamorphosed into a premier healthcare institution, deploying state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge equipment and other advanced resources generously provided by our founder, in realizing his noble dream of providing Nigerians with access to quality healthcare, thereby bridging the gap in medical care and improving the lives of our people.

“DUFUTH’s first major clinical breakthrough was the successful completion of an emergency cesarean session which led to DUFUTH’s first birth on the 18th of January, 2023. Between January 2023 to April, 2025, we have performed 412 surgeries, 15,148 outpatient visits and 264 total deliveries. These successfully handled surgical cases cut across burr hole surgeries, pterygium excision, skull fracture exploration, exploratory laporotomy for ruptured ectopic pregnancy, chalazion, hip replacement, knee arthroplasty, nephrectomy, lumbar laminectomy. The list is endless.

“Our journey has been one of resilience, determination, and unwavering commitment in the face of numerous distractions. At inception, we faced significant challenges. However, we have remained undeterred, driven by the vision, dream, and mandate of our founder, Engr. Chief David Umahi who passionately sought to reverse medical tourism through a world-class teaching hospital capable of delivering the highest standard of care.

” Today, through sheer determination and the unwavering support of our staff, we have worked tirelessly to build an institution that would make Nigerians proud. The Management and staff of DUFUTH have every cause to celebrate this milestone. In barely two years of existence, the hospital is proud to have successfully conducted a wide variety of routine and complex specialist interventions across a range of specialities and sub-speciality clinical service,s” Prof Agwu stated.