The leadership of Orluzurumee Youth Assembly (OYA) over the weekend, honored the founder of St. Mary’s Children and community hospital, Umuowa, Orlu with an award of Health Ambassador of OYA, describing him as an embodiment of selfless service and patriotism.
The group bemoaned the deplorable roads leading to the two major health facilities in the zone,recalling how bad the road leading to Imo State Teaching hospital was last time they visited and urged the government to prioritize construction of the roads.
Presenting the award, the National President of Orluzurumee Youth Assembly, Engr Christian Okolie acknowledged that St. Mary’s Children and Community hospital, Umuowa is a hidden treasure as earlier said by the founder, Rev. Fr. Sergius Duru. He regretted that a lot of Imo people are unaware of the hospital’s facilities, which could be as a result of very bad road leading to the complex.
Engr. Okolie assured the management of the hospital that Orluzurumee Youth Assembly, will ensure that stakeholders of the zone and beyond are made to know the existence of the hospital which he claimed is the best in the whole of South -East, South-South, “if not in Nigeria as a whole”.
Responding, the founder of the hospital, Rev. Fr. (Dr) Sergius Duru, averred that the hospital is a dream come true for him and his partners in Germany and other places who have worked tirelessly to establish it as he had always been disturbed by the avalanche of Nigerians who travel overseas for medical needs of themselves. He appreciated Orluzurumee Youth Assembly for the award, saying that such an award will spur him to do more.
The traditional ruler of Umuowa, HRH Eze MC Duruigbo, who was present to welcome the National leadership of Orlu body, stated that host community of the hospital is happy with their visit. He commended them for finding time to visit his community which he described as a pacesetter in the area of community service and development.
The highlight of the courtesy visit was a facility tour conducted by the Medical Director, Dr. Obi Onukaogu who painstakingly took the Orluzurumee Youths round the hospital complex and showed them some of state of the art equipment available and operational in the hospital.
Addressing the Newsmen, Onukaogu averred that the dream of the hospital is to end medical tourism in Nigeria as the hospital is already “a one-stop-shop medical facility”. He promised to maintain the enviable standard already in place and improve where necessary.
