NSU International Hospital
Historical Background
Nsu international Hospital is a project initiated by Nsu sons and daughters under the auspices of Nsu Cultural and Development Association (NDCA), resident in North America.
NDCA was formed on July 3rd, 2002 with a burning desire to augment the developmental efforts of our brothers and Sisters resident in Nigeria. NDCA is made up of the following chapters:
- Dallas
- Chicago
- Canada
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Houston
Each Chapter has elected executives who run the affairs of the organization and meet once a month. All state chapters are affiliated to the national body- NDCA.
NDCA general assembly meet once a year at its national convention and the executives meet every three months by teleconference to deliberate on matters affecting NDCA.
NDCA is a registered nonprofit, nongovernmental organization engaged in the following activities:
- Medical missions to Africa particularly Nigeria
- Provision of medical supplies to Health centers
- Building of Health care facilities such as the one shown above.
- Welfare of its members, assisting with the bereaved families offset some of the burial cost.
- The annual convention is a meeting platform for our children to know one another
- NDCA encourages and promotes Igbo culture and language.
NDCA finances itself through its membership fees, donations and levies. Current NDCA executives are:
- Dr. Ikechukwu Steven Madu – President
- Rev (Dr.) Iheanyi Enwerem – Vice President
- Mrs. Chile Bridget Ikejimba – Secretary General
- Mrs. Edna Uzoma Anyegbu – Assistant Secretary General
- Dr. Alphonsus Ntamere – Financial Secretary
- Chief Micheal Uzoma Chukwu – Treasurer
- Mrs. Nneka Green – PRO
- Attorney Ngozi A. Nduka – Legal Adviser.
The above executives have functioned very effectively and efficiently to ensure to the realization of the above project and other areas of commitment. NDCA also has various working committees with respective responsibilities and Board of Trustees chaired by Mr. CC. Osigwe.
With the foregoing historical background in mind, NDCA went in search of areas where it can contribute its quota towards the development of Nsu right from its inception in 2002. The key priority at the time was to identify areas of need and how NDCA can help to alleviate the sufferings of our people. One area that stood out amongst other needs at the time was Health and this continued to impose a significant impediment to our development. Our investigation revealed that most deaths in our locality are preventable and some of the identified factors militating against timely intervention to prevent death occurring from these ailments include:
- Inaccessibility to health care facility
- Poverty and lack of affordable health care services where available.
- Ignorance
- Cultural believes and influence of traditional remedies
- Religion- Excessive praying by our people
- Quackery- Unqualified medical personnel.
Based on the foregoing, NDCA took the giant initiative to curb the drift and bring succor to our people believing that a healthy society is a wealthy society.
Based on this principle, NDCA developed a mission statement that seek to “preserve, restore, and enhance the health of individuals and families we serve within our communities guided by our core values of respect, compassion, responsibility and patient safety”, consistent with the objectives of NDCA.
NDCA therefore seek to promote and protect the health of the public through leadership, partnership, innovation and action in public health.
NDCA’s Vision
Having carefully examined the above factors, NDCA came up with the following vision statements:
- To provide accessibility of quality health care services to our people- User fees, charges or other obstructions to insured services are not permitted.
- To make health care universal, meaning all eligible Nsu residents must be entitled to health care.
- To enable affordability of health care, especially the elderly and the unemployed through health care insurance scheme to be created and administered by Nsu people through carefully thought out plans on how to generate funds for the scheme.
- Comprehensiveness- Health care programs must cover all necessary diagnostic, laboratory, physicians and hospital services
- Public administration: Health care programs must be administered by the public using locally trained personnel to create awareness on disease prevention, home visiting etc.
Nsu Medical Insurance Scheme
NDCA will seek to establish Medical insurance scheme that will be affordable and guarantee medical care to Nsu people.
This will be Categorized as follows:
- Category A- Those with Income and want to purchase Medical Care Plan
- Category B- Those unemployed but want to purchase subsidized Medical Care Plan.
- Category C- Senior Citizens who want to purchase subsidized Medical Care Plan.
Criteria for eligibility to each of the category will be determined by our sons and daughters who are experts on insurance and health care management.
Further NDCA’s Vision:
Nsu International Hospital, it’s anticipated affiliation to a Tertiary institution and other ancillary services:
- It is NDCA’s intention to affiliate Nsu international Hospital on completion to a Tertiary institution- Imo state Teaching Hospital. Some efforts have already been made in this regard.
- NDCA intends to apply for license to enable training capacity of nurses, NYSC Doctors and Interns.
- NDCA intends to continue negotiations with Imo State Government regarding the release of the old Hospital site and to further develop it for use by Nsu International Hospital- May house the nursing students, intern doctors and NYSC doctors and other needs as may be determined in future.
- On completion of Nsu International Hospital, NDCA intends to open channel of communication with overseas institutions, and to make referral of cases that cannot be handled locally. Coverage of services will be comprehensive.
The benefits of successfully establishing this hospital facility include the following:
- Access to affordable health care
- Employment
- Development at all levels
Social and environmental factors impacting positively on the location of the Hospital include the following:
- Good road network
- Availability of electricity
- High population density both within Nsu and its Surburbs.
Hospital Design and Progress made so far
Please find the attached architectural design of the hospital with this email.
Some photos of progress made towards the realization of this project are also copied into this document below.
In a simple outline, the hospital was designed to be comprehensive, comprising the following departments:
- Internal Medicine department
- Department of Surgery
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Department of Community medicine- deals with preventive medicine
- Department of Pediatrics (Child’s Health)
- Laboratory services consisting of:
- Hematology Unit
- Microbiology Unit
- Chemical pathology Unit
- Anatomical Pathology
- Radiology Department consisting of:
- Ultrasound Unit
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Unit
- Computed Tomography Unit
- X-Ray Unit
- Administration- Responsible for the effective running of the hospital administratively.
Cost Analysis
Original projected cost of construction was #52,427,390.22 including recent variations and markups up to December 2016.
Present Projection of total cost of construction, up to completion: #99,683,638.22
Amount invested so far on the Project: #28,700,000.00 with 28.8% of the project completed.
Projections considering recent economic realities in Nigeria: *#70,983,638.22 (71.2%) will be needed for completion.
*Projected expenditure on Equipment: #300,000,000.00
The amount quoted above might appear staggering and frightening, yes staggering but we are not worried as strategies are in place to follow this through. This is a project that will take time to fully develop and we are aware of that, but we are determined to sustain its development and growth. We intend to commence its operation in phases.
Strategies for raising funds will include;
- Continued funding from NDCA
- Donations from private and public sectors
- Availability of investment opportunities to potential investors (open to Nsu sons and daughters and non-indigenes).
- Foreign aids where available.
Proposed Services, Management and Staffing
Services rendered by the facility on completion will include the following:
- General Medical services as provided by the General Medical Practitioner
- Referral system in place to refer cases not managed by the General Practitioner to appropriate specialists.
- Specialist services as provided by various fields of discipline within the facility
- Ambulance services to ferry patients to our affiliate institution- Imo state Teaching Hospital when inevitable.
- Provide facilitation for overseas treatment and some laboratory specimens not processed within the country and radiological interpretation of some complex radiological imaging.
- Provide training for nurses, NYSC Doctors and internship for newly graduated doctors.
- Provide laboratory services
- Provide Radiological services
- Provide community medical services, focusing on preventive medicine, education on management of certain medical conditions to afflicted individuals by hospital field workers using locally trained personnel.
- Administrative Services
- Mortuary Services
- Pharmacy
Commitment and Management System:
The Proposed Management structure will consist the following model and is subject to modification-
- Medical Health Board comprising mostly of seasoned Nsu sons and daughters with administrative and managerial, medical and legal skills, and a representative from the ministry of health.
Function: Will be self-regulated under the Authority of the state legislation regulating Medical practice in Imo State and Nigeria in general.
- Hospital Administration- Mostly individuals of Nsu origin with administrative skills and a representative from affiliate institution
Functions:
- Identify and appoint qualified personnel (must be ratified by the Health board).
- Observe programs from the Teaching Hospital
- Joint meeting of all hospital and affiliate institutions at all time necessary to ensure adequate provision of services.
- Role is purely administrative
- oint meeting from time to time of hospital chief of staff and the administration to ensure smooth relationship between hospital administration and medical staff.
- Paramedical services- Include laboratory services management run by our own people, fortunately, we have highly qualified individuals from Nsu in this regard; Nursing Division services Management; Radiological services Management
- Complimentary services- cleaners, security, ambulance drivers, ward maids. This will fall under works and maintenance department.
- Medical Staff- Doctors
Functions:
- Responsible for maintaining the standard of medical care delivery in all areas.
- Liaise with the administration to ensure smooth relationship between Medical staff and the administration.
- There will be expatriate invitations from abroad periodically, either on medical mission to offer free medical treatment or by NDCA invitation of highly qualified experts to deliver services at very low cost to our people.
As stated earlier, priority will be given to Nsu indigenes in filling of positions but merit and qualification will not be compromised in certain areas. We do not want to compromise standards and every effort will be made to recruit the best hands to project the image of the Hospital and provide the required services as envisaged by NDCA.
Stake Holders
Now having considered the management structure above, the question now is who are the real stake holders?
- NDCA (primary stake holder)
- Umu Nsu who want to invest (Prospective stake Holders)
- Other Prospective investors (Non Nsu Indigene stake holders).
Stake Holder Commitment:
- NDCA has so far invested #28,700,000.00 (amounting to 28.8% project completion).
- Umu Nsu who want to invest and other prospective Investors (Non Nsu Indigenes) will be expected to invest about #70,983,638.22 (71.2%) towards the completion of the hospital construction and another #300,000,000.00 towards Equipment procurement.
How will stake holders contribute?
As stated above, it could be any of the following methods:
- Freewill donation
- Business investment-
- By paying interest on loan until loan is repaid
- Issuance of bond with coupon interest
- Amortization
Marketing Strategies:
- Radio announcement and jingles, Newspaper advertisement, advertisement in churches etc.
- Reduction in service charges
- Effective and efficient service delivery
- Good and hospitable working environment
- Procurement of good drugs from home and abroad
Management information system
We will employ the following management information system
- Internet services e.g. E-Library, E-research, and publications.
NEC Members were on site visit to the Hospital site on December 26, 2016. Eze Evaristus Iwuji was in attendance to grace the visit.
One of Nsu son used the occasion to showcase his new book on the “Origin of Iwa akwa Igbo land”.
It is worth noting that there are 1) two existing block building also donated by Umuezeala Nsu to NDCA.
- Large expanse of land for future development is also associated with the hospital premises.
- Two outstanding Donors to NDCA’s cause:
- Chief Athan Achionu
- Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba.
Conclusion:
From the above explanation, you will agree with me that if we join hands in executing this project, it will be technically feasible, socially desirable, commercially viable and economically profitable to the very good people of Ndi Nsu and our society in general.
Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to present this piece to the good people of Ndi Nsu and all prospective readers.
God bless you all.
Dr. Ikechukwu Steven Madu
MBBS(Nig.); Dip. Obs.(SA); FCOG(SA); FRCSC(CA).
Senior Consultant/Specialist Gynecologist/Obstetrician
Grenfell Health, Labrador City
Canada.
NDCA President
