Otti urges Abia diaspora commission to extend medical outreach, pledges state support

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has appealed to the Abia State Diaspora Commission to extend its ongoing medical outreach programme in the state, assuring that the government would provide full support to sustain the initiative.

The governor made the appeal on Friday, December 19, 2025, at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Government House, Umuahia, while receiving members of the medical team deployed by the Abia State Diaspora Commission after a one-week medical mission across the state.

Otti said the heavy investments made by his administration in the health sector were aimed at improving the wellbeing of Abians, stressing that healthcare is a fundamental right and not a privilege.

“For us, we spend on healthcare knowing fully well that the returns may not come in naira and kobo, or in dollars and pounds, but in the health of our people and in saved lives,” the governor said.

“We believe that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. We also do not accept the idea that if you cannot afford healthcare, then you cannot have it. As a government, we have taken a principled decision to put our money where our health is.”

The governor thanked the Abia State Diaspora Commission for organising the medical mission and urged its members, many of whom travelled from outside the country, to consider extending the exercise.

“I want to thank all of you who came from outside the country to support what we have been doing over the last 30 months to democratise healthcare in Abia State,” he said.

“If this medical mission can be extended, we will be very happy and we will provide all the necessary support. If you were able to achieve this much in a few days, imagine what could be done if you stayed for another one or two weeks.”

Otti also commended the Commissioner for Health and other top officials in the health sector for their contributions to the success of the outreach.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Prof Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, said the governor had earlier in the year launched several critical health interventions, including free medical outreaches, a state health insurance scheme and partnerships with global health organisations.

Prof Uche disclosed that more than 10,000 adults benefited from direct healthcare services during the outreach, with over 120 surgeries successfully carried out.

“Within these five days, many lives have been transformed across different communities. People who might not have survived the next few months now have renewed hope and the opportunity to fulfil their destinies,” he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Abia State Diaspora Commission, Mr Okey Agbara, said the commission decided to support the medical outreach after observing Governor Otti’s commitment to development, particularly in the health sector.

“We have seen the governor’s dedication to delivering quality healthcare to the people, and that is why we decided to support him,” Agbara said.

“We have instituted what we call universal healthcare, where everyone who needs treatment is able to access it. That is why we came. We are also supporting the government through the training of healthcare professionals, particularly in areas such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).”