By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
The Chief Medical Director, CMD of Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AEFETHA), Professor Robinson Chukwudi Onoh, has declared the institution’s emergence as a national leader in reproductive health, emergency medicine, and specialist training, with a bold vision to reposition the hospital as a foremost hub for medical tourism in Nigeria and West Africa.
Speaking with journalists at the hospital complex, Prof. Onoh revealed that AEFETHA recently celebrated a landmark achievement — the successful delivery of triplets through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), marking the hospital’s entry into a select league of institutions offering advanced reproductive technologies in Nigeria.
According to him, patients from Ghana, Cameroon, the United States, and the United Kingdom have accessed IVF services at AEFETHA, drawn by the hospital's high success rate of 70% in its first IVF batch and its top-grade equipment such as the ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Insermination) machine and world-class incubators.
“We are the first teaching hospital in Southeast Nigeria to offer IVF services. Our success stories include triplet deliveries, twins, and singleton births, and we now run our fifth batch of IVF patients,” Onoh stated.
He described AEFETHA as a “quaternary hospital,” surpassing standard tertiary services by offering sub-specialty accreditations in departments like ophthalmology, obstetrics, and gynecology. “In ophthalmology alone, we have all eight sub-specialties accredited — that is unmatched nationally,” he emphasized.
On emergency care, the CMD disclosed that the hospital has gained full accreditation from the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSA) and is one of only ten in the country recognized for emergency medicine training.
He stated that the hospital's collaboration with the Irish and Royal Colleges of Emergency Medicine is underway, with training missions already conducted and another set for August this year.
He maintained that the AEFETHA’s expansion is also drawing commendation for its humanitarian partnerships, citing the Smile Train, which supports the free treatment of cleft lips and palates at the hospital.
"Smile Train is also set to upgrade AEFETHA's pediatric surgical theater, with new equipment arriving by the end of July," he added.
In the area of advanced care, Onoh announced that AEFETHA boasts the highest number of plastic and neurosurgeons in any Nigerian teaching hospital, managing cases others refer out.
"The hospital has also become a national research hub, currently working with global partners like CEPI on a vaccine trial for Lassa Fever, with a dedicated three-story structure under construction — the only one of its kind in Nigeria.
"In nephrology, AEFETHA runs a top-tier dialysis center with eight active machines and a dual-stage water purification system.
"The hospital has also expanded its post-basic nursing education, now offering five specialized programs and attracting students from across Nigeria.
“We’ve moved from being just a hospital to being a beautiful bride in the health sector. Our goal is simple — to make AEFETHA a home for medical tourism and a center of excellence that will reverse the outflow of Nigerians seeking healthcare abroad," he declared.
The CMD expressed appreciation to the stakeholders including Right Hon. Iduma Igariwey representing Afikpo/Edda Federal Constituency and former Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, now Works Minister for infrastructural support, notably the construction of a permanent IVF complex and the donation of a fully equipped ambulance.
He thanked Governor Francis Nwifuru and his wife for the donation SUV to CMAC, and present state government efforts in upholding conducive environment and payment of bills of indigent patients in the state.
