Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has unveiled a remodelled and fully furnished 105-bed Zonal Hospital in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to improving access to quality healthcare.
Fubara, who spoke during the unveiling of the facility on Friday, said his administration placed a high priority on healthcare because good health remained essential to the wellbeing and productivity of the people.
The governor said the project was driven by the understanding that while lost wealth could be recovered, regaining lost health was often more difficult. He described healthcare as one of the fundamental responsibilities of government, alongside the protection of lives and property and the provision of other essential services.
Fubara said the hospital would serve not only residents of Omoku but also communities in Egbema, Ndoni, parts of Ahoada and other areas within the Rivers West Senatorial District, particularly in cases requiring advanced medical attention.
He noted that the facility was strategically important because Omoku is a major oil and gas hub in Rivers State, adding that growing economic and industrial activities in the area made the provision of quality healthcare services necessary.
The governor appealed to residents and community leaders to take ownership of the hospital and protect its buildings, equipment and other infrastructure from vandalism and theft.
Fubara also assured residents of his administration’s commitment to delivering and completing projects to acceptable standards, while urging the media and members of the public to avoid spreading unverified information about government projects.
The Oba of Ogbaland, Dr Nwachukwu Obi III, who commissioned the facility as Special Guest of Honour, commended the governor for development projects across the area, including the recently commissioned Elele-Omoku road and the Ahoada-Egbema road.
The monarch said the communities had previously felt disconnected from government due to years of poor infrastructure but noted that recent interventions had improved residents’ perception of government presence in the area. He also praised the completion of the 33.5-kilometre Elele-Omoku dual-carriageway.
On the hospital, the monarch said the people considered the completed facility a major intervention, particularly because communities in the oil and gas-producing region had experienced several health challenges and avoidable deaths.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, described the Omoku Zonal Hospital as a strategically located secondary healthcare facility serving the Orashi region.
He disclosed that attendance at health facilities in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area had increased by more than 200 per cent over the past three years, rising from about 58,914 patients to nearly 225,400 as of December 2025.
Wachukwu added that deliveries, skilled birth attendance and the number of women completing four antenatal-care visits had also increased by about 20 per cent, particularly in Omoku and Okwuzi.
The remodelled 105-bed facility is equipped with outpatient clinics, a pharmacy, ECG and ultrasound rooms, accident and emergency services, a dedicated surgical theatre and radiology services, among other medical facilities.
