{"id":1425,"date":"2026-07-14T17:17:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T16:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1425"},"modified":"2026-07-14T17:17:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T16:17:36","slug":"delta-exco-approves-major-health-sector-overhaul-ekpan-hospital-set-for-takeoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1425","title":{"rendered":"Delta EXCO Approves Major Health Sector Overhaul, Ekpan Hospital Set for Takeoff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Samuel Peace Emem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Delta State Executive Council has approved a series of major health sector projects, including the procurement of medical equipment, the establishment of specialised treatment units, and the upgrade of key health facilities, in a move aimed at improving healthcare delivery across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The approvals were announced by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme<\/strong>, after the Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori<\/strong> on July 3, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the key decisions was the approval for the procurement and installation of equipment at the Mother and Child Hospital, Ekpan<\/strong>, paving the way for the facility to commence operations after more than a decade of delay. The hospital’s construction, awarded in 2011, has now been completed and will join the already operational Mother and Child Hospitals in Owa Alero<\/strong> and Warri<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The council also approved Central Hospital, Kwale<\/strong>, as the take-off site for the proposed Federal Teaching Hospital. According to Onojaeme, the development is expected to create employment opportunities while expanding access to specialised healthcare services, including cancer treatment through a proposed oncology centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the council approved the upgrade of the state’s Public Health Laboratory following a statewide needs assessment. The upgraded laboratory is expected to conduct infectious disease testing within Delta State, eliminating the need to send samples to Edo State or Abuja during disease outbreaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other approved projects include the establishment of specialised neuropsychiatric units to improve the treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders, as well as oncology facilities equipped for radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The commissioner said the projects would reduce the need for patients to travel outside the state for specialised medical care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Onojaeme said the approvals demonstrate the Oborevwori administration’s commitment to strengthening the state’s healthcare system and ensuring residents have access to quality medical services closer to home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents of Ekpan welcomed the announcement with cautious optimism after years of waiting for the completion of the Mother and Child Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Efetobore<\/strong>, a student of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE), whose family resides in Ekpan, said the community has long depended on an overstretched General Hospital, forcing many residents to seek expensive treatment at private healthcare facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The healthcare situation here has been incredibly draining over the years. Whenever my family needs critical tests, we are almost always turned away and forced to pay a fortune at private laboratories because the hospital lacks working equipment,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He expressed hope that the completion of the Mother and Child Hospital would ease the burden on residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We desperately need functional laboratories, specialised equipment, and enough medical workers so families don’t have to spend their life savings at private clinics,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health professionals also stressed the importance of ensuring the new facilities are adequately staffed and equipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A health practitioner in Abraka, Dr. Denedo<\/strong>, said the success of the projects would depend on the availability of qualified personnel and modern medical equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They need doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. They also require essential facilities such as operating theatres, intensive care units, beds, CT scanners, X-ray machines, MRI scanners, and ultrasound equipment,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commenting on public confidence in government projects, Dr. Denedo urged residents to remain hopeful while holding public officials accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As long as the government has made the commitment, we should hold them to their word and hope they fulfil it,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest approvals represent one of the state’s most ambitious healthcare investment programmes in recent years and are expected to improve access to specialist medical services while reducing the cost and inconvenience of seeking treatment outside Delta State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Samuel Peace Emem The Delta State Executive Council has approved a series of major health sector projects, including the procurement of medical equipment, the establishment of specialised treatment units, and the upgrade of key health facilities, in a move aimed at improving healthcare delivery across the state. The approvals were announced by the Commissioner […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":50,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,52,14],"tags":[377,143,375,33,376],"class_list":["post-1425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcorner","category-politics","category-trendingnews","tag-asaba","tag-delta-state","tag-ekpan","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1429,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425\/revisions\/1429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}