Diaspora group moves to rehabilitate Edo hospitals

A diaspora-based socio-cultural group, the Ora-Ekpen Association, has launched an intervention to rehabilitate public healthcare facilities in Edo State, beginning with the long-neglected General Hospital in Sabongida-Ora, Owan West Local Government Area.

The group, made up of Owan indigenes living abroad, announced an initial N10m commitment to revive, restore and modernise the hospital, which has been largely non-functional for years, forcing residents to seek medical care in distant towns.

In a statement jointly signed on Thursday by its National President, Desmond Alufohai, and National Secretary, Evelyn Aremu, the association said the intervention was aimed at addressing critical infrastructural and service gaps caused by prolonged neglect and chronic underinvestment.

According to the statement, the funds will be used to procure solar power panels, high-powered fans for patient wards, television sets for wards, furnishings for doctors’ and nurses’ quarters, washing machines, and essential medical supplies.

The association said the present condition of the hospital reflects years of decay, citing dilapidated structures, obsolete and inadequate equipment, unstable electricity and water supply, poor sanitation, and acute shortages of medicines and diagnostic tools.

“These conditions have severely limited the hospital’s ability to deliver safe, effective and dignified healthcare,” the statement said, adding that they compromise patient safety, erode public confidence and place enormous strain on healthcare workers.

Describing the situation as both a public health and social equity challenge, the group stressed the need for comprehensive rehabilitation and sustained investment to restore healthcare facilities in the area to acceptable standards.

“It is in this context that the Ora-Ekpen Association has resolved to contribute meaningfully to the restoration of the General Hospital in Sabongida-Ora, as a first step towards improving access to quality healthcare and rebuilding community trust,” the statement said.

The association also commended the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, for donating a 30KVA generator to the hospital, noting that the gesture would enhance service delivery once operations resume.

It called on government authorities, community leaders, public officials and well-meaning individuals—particularly sons and daughters of Ora—to support the rehabilitation effort, stressing that safeguarding public health requires collective responsibility.

“Only through sustained commitment and shared action can public hospitals in our communities once again serve as centres for healing, prevention and well-being,” the statement said.

The General Hospital in Sabongida-Ora was shut down after a rehabilitation project initiated under the administration of former governor Adams Oshiomhole was abandoned, leaving residents of Ora and neighbouring communities to travel to Auchi and Irrua for medical care.

The Ora-Ekpen Association USA, Inc. is a non-profit, non-political and non-religious organisation of Ora descendants living in the United States and Canada, committed to philanthropic initiatives that improve the quality of life in their home communities.