Upgrade FMC To Teaching Hospital, Okorocha Urges FG

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has appealed to the Federal Government to upgrade Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, to a teaching hospital.
Okorocha, made the appeal in Owerri last Tuesday, when the Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, visited the centre to inaugurate six newly built projects.
Okorocha, represented by the Deputy Governor, Ezedinobi Madumere, said the conversion of the centre to a teaching hospital was long overdue.
The governor said the crisis in the centre between the management and staff was over, adding that,  the centre had the manpower and physical structure to become a teaching hospital.
Okorocha said, he was directly involved in the resolution of the crisis which almost marred the activities of the hospital and urged all parties to drop past grievances and work together to move the centre forward.
Ehanire said, the upgrading of the centre was possible, but would be better guaranteed when the management and staff were united.
“I have seen physical structures and all met the international standard but management and staff must be at peace before such agitation will be considered,” he said.
According to him, the Federal Government has resolved the lingering crisis in the centre and urged the workers to ensure that sanity is maintained.
“I can assure you that, the crisis is over and everybody should be ready to do the job which they are paid for,” he said, noting that the government had plans to build a health centre in every political ward in the country, to ensure a government’s health centre was at the door step of everyone.
He commended the Medical Director, Dr Angela Uwakwem,  for the numerous achievements she had recorded within a short period, stating that, the hospital had manpower in various medical fields.
She said that, management embarked on the projects to reduce medical tourism by people in the state, just as the hospital had procured 16 Slice GE CT Scan and Fluoroscopy machines as well sa C Arm machines to advance radiological services.