Amaechi to build $150m mega hospital in Port Harcourt
07.18.2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009

Work has commenced on the $150 million Justice Karibi Whyte Mega Specialist Hospital in Rivers State.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/jul/18/228.html
The state-of-the-art mega specialist hospital that is expected to be one of the best in sub-saharan Africa on completion, is being built by the Amaechi-led administration with Clinotech Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals of Canada as the project consultants.

According to the state Health Ministry, the hospital will replace all overseas referral cases and offer quality medical services of world standard to the people of Rivers State, Nigeria and other African countries.

This would in essence reduce the number of patients referred abroad for treatment, and fwhile encouraging patients to be flown into the country from other parts of Africa for treatment.

“The mega hospital project which was earlier planned to be built on the site of the former University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital is now under construction at a bigger and more spacious site within the new Greater Port Harcourt City.

Senior Special Adviser to the Rivers State Governor on Media and Publicity, David Iyofor explained that “the move was in line with Governor Amaechi’s efforts to decongest Port Harcourt City and at the same time fast track development in the Greater Port Harcourt city. However, the former Teaching Hospital grounds will not be left undeveloped as the proposed Women and Children’s Hospital Project is to be sited there.”

Rivers State government is expected to spend a minimum of $150 million for the building of the 1,000 bed mega hospital. Already, $39 million has been paid out to the contractors.

Iyofor also disclosed that the original 18 floor plan for the hospital has been altered due to the hospital's proximity to the Port Harcourt International Airport, as advised by the airport

authority.

“It has now be redesigned into an H building with 13 and 10 floors”, he added.

Governor Amaechi’s spokesman, further stated that “the Justice Karibi Whyte Mega Specialist Hospital has been designed to make Rivers State the number one Medical Tourism destination in Africa. It would have a leisure arm that would make it a major tourist attraction”, he said.

Other Health projects being undertaken by the Rivers State Government include a 120 bed model Niger Hospital which will serve the whole of Diobu and environs in collaboration with the Primary Health Centres around that area. Another 120 bed Hospital is being built in the premises of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RSUST, to serve the University community and other surrounding communities.

The new 4 storey Ultra Modern Rivers State Dental and Maxillofacial Hospital is now almost completed and according to Governor Amaechi’s Senior Special Adviser, David Iyofor, “the Government is proposing to build another big General Hospital on a land it acquired behind the Dental Hospital. The General Hospital when completed will serve the whole of D/Line area and beyond due to its proposed size.”

Iyofor also confirmed that over 35 Primary Health Centres in different parts of the State have been completed while many others are nearing completion. “We are building a total of 154 Primary Health Centres across the State. Over 35 of these Health Centres are ready, they include: Iriebe and Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor LGA, Umusoya and Obeama in Oyigbo LGA, Ogbakiri and Ndele in Emohua LGA and Agbonchia and Eteo in Eleme LGA.”

“Others are, Okochiri and Ogoloma in Okirika LGA, Ipo and Elele in Ikwerre LGA, Yeghe in Gokana LGA, Beeri in Khana LGA, Unyeada in Andoni LGA and Buguma in Asari-Toru LGA.” Iyofor said.

He added that the Primary Health Centres are built and situated strategically in such a way that they can easily be accessed by the people in both urban and rural areas no matter where they live.

A significant transformation has also been recorded in the State owned BraithWaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, BMSH such as constant supply of drugs to the Hospital, more medical equipments like the CT scan Machine, orthopedic equipment and the training and re-training of Doctors, Radiologists and other medical personnel.

Commendable as it appear on paper. Wish him and his people well on this endavour.

olabukola:

Commendable as it appear on paper. Wish him and his people well on this endavour.

I love this part of your comment.

It is a good idea if only the execution of the project will be done.

Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please can someone tell me why everything from Nigeria is termed MEGA?

Mega party
Mega Owambe
Mega dirty streets
Mega Babes (instead of obesed babes)
Mega Darkness
Mega Churches
Mega Pastors
Mega Robbers
Mega Okadas
Mage Governors and commisioners

And we all knew how these megas always ends up. Like Peter Odili's mega air ambulance or his private jet
Odili's gas turbin that generates no electricity.

Ok,  lets see how it goes  

$150 million

hey hey hey efcc should arrest that man for an explanation

150,000,000

for what

one thing here i have fans all over the place

anything i said here or suggest come out somewhere

i was the one that talked on buildin project like thsi instead wastin money buildin air port when land are valublabe

slowpoke, do u ve any doubt

but i never add sufice MEGA !! chineke

Sounds good on paper at least (the intension is there).

I think this is a welcome development

This might be the beginning of the end of Flying abroad for medical help ooooO!!! My fingers are crossed and I hope this time they have a good plan and are dedicated to making it a success!!!

Not bad at all Mr Amaechi, big ups!!!!!!

Eziachi:

Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please can someone tell me why everything from Nigeria is termed MEGA?

Mega party
Mega Owambe
Mega dirty streets
Mega Babes (instead of obesed babes)
Mega Darkness
Mega Churches
Mega Pastors
Mega Robbers
Mega Okadas
Mage Governors and commisioners

And we all knew how these megas always ends up. Like Peter Odili's mega air ambulance or his private jet
Odili's gas turbin that generates no electricity.

@ ikehman
what ar u even sayin?

Another way to siphon money & make 'some' ppl millionaires overnight.

Do we have what it takes to maintain such a facility?

. . . that is on the assumption that the guy actually completes the project.

Another Tinapa-like project in the making. When will these JUNK-YARD BUREAUCRATS realise that there can be no true development without constant power supply.

MUZBO:

Another Tinapa-like project in the making. When will these JUNK-YARD BUREAUCRATS realise that there can be no true development without constant power supply.

Thank you bro.

There are very many things required to make these white elephant projects work. . . those things are not in place but we keep decieving ourselves with mega-this and mega-that.

Eziachi:

Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please can someone tell me why everything from Nigeria is termed MEGA?

Mega party
Mega Owambe
Mega dirty streets
Mega Babes (instead of obesed babes)
Mega Darkness
Mega Churches
Mega Pastors
Mega Robbers
Mega Okadas
Mage Governors and commisioners

And we all knew how these megas always ends up. Like Peter Odili's mega air ambulance or his private jet
Odili's gas turbin that generates no electricity.

u left out mega filling station but no fuel

MUZBO:

Another Tinapa-like project in the making. When will these JUNK-YARD BUREAUCRATS realise that there can be no true development without constant power supply.

just assume that has been considered before carrying out such a huge project. The fact that one project is failing in expectation doesn't mean another wouldn't work. Thats what change is all about.

Amaechi has been doing a good work so far so lets expect the reality of this beyond the pages of the papers to a place on ground where we can refer the sick and infirm to instead of abroad.

Nigerians have read some many mouth watering projects since this new civilian dispensation, how many has actually materialised is another subject entirely. Lagos – Kano new rail link, lagos – Ibadan road increase to 3 lane on each side, Port Harcourt new city, Eko Atlantic city, metroline in lagos, Abuja boulevard and another 10 lane airport road in Abuja. A ring road round Port Harcourt that will cost $1 billion dollars, the new Kaduna city, 4th mainland bridge muted during tinubu’s tenure still not built after 10 years. These politicians should just shut-up and get on with it.  

They Have started their unfinished projects,

Gov. Daniel of Ogun state borrowed 50billion Naira to develop the state, 2 years to go, and now is Amaechi embarking on 150million usd Project, when he knows he cant finish it.


These are the type of reasons Western World says Nigerians are illiterate, they dont know when to start and they dont know when to stop.

very soon UNFINISHED PROJECT WILL SPREAD ACCROSS ALL THE STATES,

its a pity our rulers lack vision, [/color]

Instead of equipping and upgrading (where necessary) the existing hospitals, they are building new ones. What a waste of money! and this in a country without regular electricity!!!!!!

No matter how mega or maga that hospital is, i still donot see Yar Adua, Atiku et al going to PH for medical checkup.

I will state categorically here.

1. This project has failed before it even started!!!!

2. This is another corruption avenue!

If he is serious, let him strengthen all the existing small clinics scattered around his state.

Let him ensure that the state has a clear-cut 'health issurance' for this people

Let him ensure they have function ambulances in all local government area.

If above 2 are done and managed for 5years, he can go to next step.

like someone said and I beg to edit,

Mega City,
Mega Party,
Mega thieves,
Mega ways of stealing money and now,

Mega Hospital.

Bloody thieves.

Why can't Amaechi use the 150M USD to equip state hospitals, especially the teaching hospital (if they have one)? Equip them provide them with generators so they have constant electricity 24/7 and put in current up to date facilities. I assure you, there are Nigerian doctors all over the world who will volunteer to come home to treat patients free of charge in those hospitals if the right things are done!

Instead, he is spending 150M USD tax payers money on a building project someone will take 10% of it, another will keep 1MUSD of it in a fixed account and by the time Amaechi leaves in 2011, the project will be half complete and the rest of the money gone into thin air. (he has said he won't go for a second term but trust the charlattans, he will pay some people to come and ''beg'' him and eventually now say, he listened to the voice of the people). Then the new governor will come and probe the hospital project and eventually nothing will come out of the probe, but then he will so sensationalise it, Nigerians in our usual way of loving anything to distract us from the no light, no water, no fuel, crises in our Nation, will tune in to NTA News everyday at 7pm waiting to hear the developments. Meanwhile, the new Governor is thinking of his own project too!

Make we siddon dey look!

It amazes me sometimes the thin line that separates a PR officer and some nairalander.

Here is a governor---(a con artist if you ask me) that presently cannot account for how his administration spent appropriated funds totaling over Five Hundred Billion Naira (about $3.6billion) in the last two years.

The same governor who rather pumps state monies into investments in Ghana (blue chip companies) than improve the lives of his people (Niger delta----MEND take note) in Rivers state.

http://ghanapundit..com/2009/06/governor-amaechi-in-n500-billion.html

What the governor ought to do is add "Looting champion of Rivers state treasury" to his list of accomplishment than try to embellish his tarnished image as a corrupt leader.

Demain_man:

Instead of equipping and upgrading (where necessary) the existing hospitals, they are building new ones. What a waste of money! and this in a country without regular electricity!!!!!!

From experience working in a hospital, I can tell you that NO SINGLE NIGERIAN hospital that I know of today is worth spending any more money on. We need SOLID new Structures ( not the old colonial bungalows) and we need state of the art equipment. Patch Patch work no go do anymore. We need to spend money on Quality once and for all. That is why I don’t think that if, well planned and well executed, this might be the hospital the country has been waiting for. For one the budget seems reasonably where it ought to be. Now we can only hope it be used right.

MrCrackles:

I hope this wont be another gigantic edifice appealing externally but internally, lacking!
Corrupt and unscrupulous elements are already at work, afterall, every project raised in Nigeria nowadays has a corruption element factored in!

I know!!! roflmao!!!

Let us hope and wish this is all for real and not just another"look good for camera" statement.

Kobojunkie:

From experience working in a hospital, I can tell you that NO SINGLE NIGERIAN hospital that I know of today is worth spending any more money on. We need SOLID new Structures ( not the old colonial bungalows) and we need state of the art equipment. Patch Patch work no go do anymore. We need to spend money on Quality once and for all. That is why I don’t think that if, well planned and well executed, this might be the hospital the country has been waiting for. For one the budget seems reasonably where it ought to be. Now we can only hope it be used right.

Really?
What an experience that is. In the U.K, average hospitals are over four hundred years of history behind them. They don't bulldoze them down unless they were built with asbestos materials that is now considered health hazard.
They will always come and add new structures to complement the old (Scaffolding). Some them look old outside but when you've gone inside them and witness the sort of equipment there and the level of healthcare they provides you will respect the system.

Nigeria based on what you are now calling experience always shows their lack of appreciation of history and total absence of maintenance culture. That is why they abandoned their historical Surulere stadium Lagos with huge history behind to be over grown with grass (a place Sam Okwaraji sacrificed his life for a useless nation) only to spent billions building a new stadium in Abuja.
Patch patch work according to you, it called good maintenance and that is why edifice like the WHITE HOUSE, LONDON HOUSE OF COMMON, BIG BEN is still in top shape despite their longitevity.
What happened to the huge teaching hospital already in Port Harcourt that is now in decaying state?
That money could easily breathe a new lease of life into it and can even help revitalize at least 20 more already dead hospitals across the state.
But Nigerian rulers and their ruled always want something to commission with big fanfare that sometimes cost more than the actual project, so they can’t commission an old but revive hospital, hence lets build a new one.