By Ubon Marcus
The Government of Akwa Ibom State, under the leadership of Pastor Umo Eno, has set plans in motion for the establishment of an international medical facility in the state, which will be known as Ibom International Hospital.
Already, a location—along the Ibom medical corridor—has been chosen, a blueprint drafted, and a Harvard-trained health systems specialist with expertise spanning over a decade, Dr. Teinye Isokariari, has been engaged to add value to the proposed project.
In addition, the government has gone a step further to create a buy-in for the international hospital project and other healthcare-related initiatives of the Umo Eno administration. This they did through the ARISE Health Sector Townhall Meeting, held on Saturday, July 12, 2025; an assemblage of medical stakeholders and policy makers, the press, civil societies, and critical stakeholders in the state’s health sector, organised by the State Government through the Ministry of Health to provide updates on ongoing health sector reforms and explore avenues of collaboration with respective stakeholders.
Through this landmark hospital project, Akwa Ibom is set to make a bold leap in healthcare delivery. The project, conceptualised to be a world-class, eight-storey medical facility, will, according to the consultant, be a high-tech medical complex complete with cutting-edge features such as robotic surgical theatres, state-of-the-art diagnostic centres, and a helipad for emergency airlifts.
While explaining that the hospital is being developed to meet international standards, Dr. Isokariari stated that it is aimed at attracting both local and international patients—a move expected to position Akwa Ibom as a premier destination for medical tourism in Nigeria and beyond.
With completion slated for 18 months from commencement of construction work, the Ibom International Hospital Project will also include a strategic recruitment and training program for specialist medical personnel, to commence six months before the hospital becomes operational. The government intends that the facility hit the ground running with a team of skilled professionals ready to deliver top-tier healthcare services.
The foregoing notwithstanding, some members of the public, expectedly, have questioned the rationale behind the establishment of another world-class hospital when the Ibom Multi Specialty Hospital is already in existence.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel John, in his remarks at the ARISE Health Sector Townhall Meeting, addressed their concerns.
He explained that upon assumption of office as Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, worried by the shortcomings of the Ibom Multi Specialist Hospital over time, constituted a Technical Working Committee headed by the then Commissioner for Health, Prof. Augustine Vincent Umoh, and comprising health professionals, including himself, to evaluate the state of affairs in that hospital and make recommendations for improvement.
“We did our evaluation, and we found out that there was so much work left undone in that hospital that needed to be done,” the Health Commissioner elucidated.
He stated that the committee went a step further to engage the services of professionals from other parts of the country to also assess the situation on the ground and offer professional advice to enable the state to revamp the hospital to optimal functionality as intended.
“The cost was assessed, and we were scared as a committee that it was humongous, but when we presented it to the Governor, he wasn’t deterred.”
Encouraged by the Governor’s assurance, it became necessary for the committee to contact the original builders of the hospital, and they came from Europe to further ascertain the situation of things on the ground here.
“They came around, and the Governor commissioned a European team from Germany and Turkey to do an audit, and when they did an audit, the findings were damning,” says the health commissioner.
“It turned out that the cost of fixing that hospital will be more than the cost of building a new one.”
Further investigation, according to Dr. Ekem John, revealed other limitations that made the Ibom Multi Specialty Hospital fall short of the quaternary/international hospital standard it ought to have been, thereby making the facility unable to secure JCI accreditation (i.e., Joint Commission International accreditation for healthcare organisations).
Faced with these realities, the state government, in the words of the Health Commissioner, “took a wise decision to establish the Ibom International Hospital, which will conform to true international standards and serve the purposes mentioned earlier.”
“Ibom Multi Specialty Hospital is not abandoned. It is a different project from Ibom International Hospital, and so, both of them will coexist along the medical corridor to achieve the aim of the government to reverse outbound tourism and drive in inbound medical tourism.”
“Ibom Multi Specialty Hospital will continue to exist to serve specific purposes,” Ekem John assures.
The decision to establish the Ibom International Hospital reflects a bold and strategic shift in Akwa Ibom State’s healthcare agenda—one rooted in pragmatism, foresight, and a clear commitment to global best practices.
While the Ibom Multi Specialty Hospital will continue to function with targeted improvements, the new facility is envisioned to fill critical gaps in advanced healthcare delivery, attract international patients, and reposition the state as a hub for medical tourism.
With strong political will, expert guidance, and stakeholder engagement already in motion, the Ibom International Hospital stands not just as a project, but as a promise—a promise of world-class care, economic growth, and a healthier future for all.
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