By Joyce Onuora
Professor J. O. Ugboaja, the chief medical director of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), has been in the business of transforming the healthcare system since his assumption of office.
Appointed in 2021, Prof. has revolutionized the institution. The renowned obstetrician & gynecologist has transformed NAUTH from a facility facing infrastructural and operational challenges into a world-class healthcare center.
According to eyewitnesses; “under his leadership, NAUTH has expanded its workforce by over 1,000 staff, including nearly 100 consultant specialists and 400 nurses, strengthening both patient care and medical education”.
Some of his key achievements, as highlighted, include a 240-bed trauma and emergency complex, a 120-bed pediatrics emergency complex, a 200-bed medical ward complex, and a 120-bed surgical ward complex.
Others are a 150-bed Mother & Child Center, a new GOPD complex with 40 consultation clinics, digital health system implementation, a second oxygen plant installation, and an enhanced environment with improved roads and walkways.
However, Prof. has ongoing projects, which would further cement his name in the sands of time. These are projects that, when completed, Nigerians would automatically have no need for medical tourism abroad, but the reverse would be the case.
“He’s currently building a 20-suite operative theater complex, a 50-bed VIP wing, a 200-bed pediatric ward complex, a 150-bed gynecological ward complex, 60 resident doctor call rooms, and a 100-bed special care baby unit.”
It further revealed that among the projects, a 100-bed Medical Ward Complex is included, a 100-bed Surgical Ward Complex, a 40-bed Intensive Care Unit, a state-of-the-art Kidney Center, and a Modern Radiodiagnostic and Laboratory Complex have been ongoing.
Prof. Ugboaja’s exceptional leadership has earned him numerous accolades, including the Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) from former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Prof. has openly acknowledged the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Health Minister Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate in NAUTH’s ongoing transformation into the sphere of the global healthcare system.
His legacy encompasses infrastructure development, human capital investment, and of course, digital transformation, which is setting new standards for Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
