For Professor Bissalah Ahmed Ekele , a professor of medicine (gynaecology and obstetrics) and the current Chief Medical Director, CMD/CEO, Chief Executive Officer, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, UATH, the road to assumption of leadership of the only flagship medical facility in the nation's city was not on a platter of gold, but with his resolve to serve his fatherland, he was recalled from an international engagement, subjected to the rigour of examination were he excelled as the best perfoming candidate purely on merit to emerge as the head of Federal Tertiary health institution in the FCT at an initial stage of four years in 2017.
Soon after his appointment and four years down the line, Professor Ekele transformation program and sterling performance amid COVID, strikes and lockdown, a global phenomenon led to his reappointment in 2021 , to enable him achieve the developmental projects started four years down the line.
For four consecutive years, Ekele addressed both natural and artificial phenomenon prevalent in the tertiary heatlh institution for many decades, through his major reforms agenda that led to a gradual remodeling and infrastructural rejuvenation of the tertiary heatlh institution.
Having met a moribund health institution desiring reforms, he embarked on both administrative, professional and technical reorientation to bring back the lost glory of the hospital.
The positive development led to the reactivation and provision of some basic amenities required particularly the provision of electricity through renewable energy (Solar lights), both in the wards and the entire vicinity of the hospital to enhance not only security of lives , but properties.
His land reclamation policy saw the recovery over one hundred hectares of land hitherto occupied by land grabbers, with proper documentation embarked upon with the FCDA to regularise the title documents.
The gradual infrastructural upgrade and remodeling saw the existing and new facilities cropping up in the hospital, attracted through private and public partnership with relevant government and private agencies both within and across the globe.
Under his leadership, patient wards are been renovated with new equipment that were already obsolete, dilapidated and out of use, as well as provision of modern gadgets to assist both the medical and non medical personnel.
The massive renovation, reconstruction and re-equiping of the hospital equipment, migration from analogue transaction to online through digitization had reduced to the barest minimum the glaring incidence of revenue leakages, patient records manipulation among many others.
Professor Ekele attracted donations of items, centres , and equipment from the multinational companies like the LNG, NNPC among many others at both pre- during and post COVID era that had assisted in no small measure.
Aside employment opportunities for professionals in the last seven years, he had instituted both reward and disciplinary measures in the system as the yearly staff award had encouraged all round performance in the hospital.
The renowned Professor of Gynaecology and obstetrics also embarked on massive construction and renovation in the hospital to ensure a secured environment with the remodeling of the main entrance gate, the perimeter fence was adjusted and replaced with new one, including the construction of junior staff quarters, internship and other medical personnel.
This laudable projects and efforts was commended by Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary health institution CCMDFTH during their last three days annual meeting hosted by the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada in December, 2023.
According to the Chairman of the body, Professor Enem Bassey during the commissioning of projects in the hospital encouraged other Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors to take cue from Professor Ekele's renewal and remodelling template that cut across both human and equipment.
He lauded his efforts at reducing human interference apart from medical attention to patients to all other activities of the university, while urging him to sustain the momentum.
Earlier, the former Nigeria's first lady , Dr Aisha Buhari donated a centre to the hospital constructed by SDGs and also equipped the Trauma Centre renamed after her.
Three years down the line after his reappointment on April 13th, 2021 and seven years under the leadership of Professor Bissala Ekele, it is obvious that a lot of achievements was recorded in record time, that had placed the medical facility in a vantage position to delivering more health related services.
This is with the conviction that Professor Ekele will be well placed to handle more responsibility in higher offer, after the completion of his four years two term as the Chief Medical Director of the hospital.
The positive development will be an indicator that initiators of laudable initiatives particularly in the health sector should be given ample opportunities to continue to contribute their quota to the unending needs of the health sector, as it is obtainable in the global world.
With rare and outstanding sterling performance at the current position, no doubt when given another opportunity, Professor Ekele will not only replicate such laudable program, but improve on the existing success story to resolve lingering and myriads health sector challenges in Nigeria.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on [email protected].
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