The N350 million paediatrics hospital, Nkoyo Ibori Children Referral Hospital, on the Agbarho axis of the East-West Road in Ughelli North Local Council of Delta State is in shambles, as it now houses suspected criminals and rodents.
Built in 2003 by the former Governor James Ibori administration through his wife, Nkoyo’s pet project, “Delta Manna Foundation”, the facility was to provide better lives for children of indigent citizens of the state.
Sited on a 10-acre of land and with a capacity to cater for 20 mothers evenly distributed in two wards for patients as well as meeting the needs of 30 teenage patients in the adolescent wards, the project was supervised by a former commissioner in the state, Comrade Ovouzorie Macaulay.
He confirmed that the project was successfully executed according to specifications, adding that since the hospital was not put into use, expectedly, there could be traces of seeming abandonment that would create room for insinuations.
That facility, whose funds were majorly sourced by the foundation, was inaugurated amid fanfare by the then Minister of Health, Professor Alphonsus Nwosu.
Thirteen years after, residents of the host community told The Guardian that the facility had barely treated a child before being allowed to hit the current dilapidated state.
A visit shows that the ultra modern facilities in the various wards and the lavish furniture are in ruins, just as its four ambulances had disappeared.
In a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge, said the hospital among others would be part into use soon, adding: “We have gone to the place to inspect the facilities. It is really sad they are rotting away, and the premises over grown. The state government will do something about it.”
Source: Guardian