By DADA AYOKHAI
Before now, it is possible that the name Arugba community in Ikpoba- Okha local government of Edo State, may not ring a familiar bell, but all that seems to be in the past as the singular decision by a Benin Born medical doctor, Dr Nosa Aigbe- Lebarty to build a world-class medical Hospital in the community is bound to change the narrative and put a smile on the faces of the people.
The sleepy Arugba community came agog at the groundbreaking ceremony of the world-class medical facility, named Leberty Medical Hospital after its founder, Dr. Nosa Aigbe- Lebarty.
According to the American-trained medical doctor, the decision to build the hospital in Arugba Is propelled by the desire to plough back something into the community, noting also that the medical facility, once completed and opened to members of the public, will cater to the diverse medical needs of the people irrespective of social status.
He also added he has factored in the high cost of healthcare services in the country, stressing the medical services to be provided by the hospital will be heavily subsidised because two non- governmental organisations, NGO, have indicated an interest in partnering with the hospital management to ensure the services offered by the facility are affordable to the ordinary folks who are its primary target.
The former Edo State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Patrick Okundia, performed the groundbreaking ceremony.
He hailed the vision and the tenacity of the founder for breaking the jinx, hoping by the time the hospital becomes operational, it would not just change the Aruogba landscape for good but also provide world-class medicare to the populace, both within and beyond as well as help alleviate the burden and the strains placed on government-owned hospitals.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the State Commissioner of Communications and Orientation, represented by the General Manager of The Observer, Ms. Ayegbeni Balogun, thanked Dr. Aigbe- Liberty for blazing the trail and urged others to emulate his gesture of giving back to the community. She advised that people should pay more attention to their health, adding that a healthy lifestyle and mind would produce a wealthy mind.
Earlier in his remarks, Dr. Aigbe- Liberty went down memory lane to recall how he left the shores of the country at the tender age of 16 in search of the proverbial greener pastures in the USA, stating that having made a success of his life it is now time to think about how to give back to the society which serves as his root.
He added that no matter how long one spends in a strange land, there’s no place like home and admonished others in the diaspora still contemplating what to do to take the bull by its horn and come back home to contribute their quota to the development of their immediate community in particular and Nigeria in general.
: He further opined that the decision to cite the medical facility in the Arugba community was deliberate, adding the hospital would be accessible to all when completed aside from creating a value chain of business opportunities, jobs, and incomes for qualified indigenes of the community.
The hospital, he said would offer among other services, telemedicine and Air ambulance services when completed.
