THE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE BY WORLD IGBO CONGRESS

With the less that optimal performance of health care system in Nigeria leading to unnecessary deaths and loss of wealth in Igbo land due to medical tourism, World Igbo Congress has rallied the Igbo wealth of health care professionals in the Diaspora to introduce a new hospital concept focused on telemedicine built on outpatient services while maintaining critical emergency and acute care services. This model is unique because of the availability of world-class physicians abroad and locally who will provide an array of specialty services not otherwise available locally.
While it has often been believed that southeast and South-South zones and indeed the federal republic of Nigeria has an impressive number of tertiary teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centers the paradigm of developing hospitals based on edifices and populated with health care staff who are mostly government employees is flawed. This is the bane of the Nigerian health care system and the root of its non-performance. Providence Hospital and Life Care System will take advantage of its proximity to these major local hospitals, by reversing the flow of patients and drawing on the large population centers of area for outpatient and surgery specialties, as well as affordable integrated health services that are well appreciated and in demand in the region.
At its heart, the plan relies on the high quality of clinical care that World Igbo Congress has rallied from the rich Igbo endowment of world class health care professionals in the US and Europe while expanding specialty services that build on this excellence. Direct marketing of these services is anticipated to attract patients from across the southeast and South-south administrative zones and as far as the countries in west and central Africa and enhance revenues across all service lines.
The plan also anticipates close alliances with local and regional healthcare providers by adopting telemedicine technologies that expand specialty patient care into local clinics, other hospitals in the region and worldwide through telemedicine.
Cloud based technologies for telemedicine, lab results, imaging and electronic health records will connect physicians and patients from any location including at every bedside. This unique opportunity to be a hub for telemedicine for the entire region will be led by our team of renowned specialists in telemedicine, and a team of world class specialists.
Operational strategies will add significantly to the bottom line and will be overseen by a board of 15 healthcare and business professionals. PHLCS will recruit an experienced administrator nationally recognized for excellent leadership skills.
Among the many new initiatives this plan identifies are:
• New outpatient services that will drive the utilization of lab, imaging, infusion, and inpatient services.
• A new marketing and patient education center within the hospital targeting a wider geographic area than just Igbo land.
• A patient experience focus that creates patient loyalty while offering services that are desired in the region.
• Operational excellence that ensures accurate charge capture, billing and collections.
• World class physicians offering specialty services that are not easily available in our region today
• Electronic Health technology and telemedicine, which improve access to patient clinical diagnosis and information for both patients and physicians in Nigeria and in renowned medical centers of excellence around the globe.
• Specialty institutes such as Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute, Brain and Spine Institute, Urology Institute, Integrative Health Institute, Endocrinology Institute, Rheumatology Institute and Wound Care Institute to capture and excel in the spectrum of ailments that beleaguer our people
• A business and health care oriented board, which will provide governance and demand fiscal responsibility, business growth and clinical excellence.
• A new community of health professionals complete with infrastructure, accommodation, security, schools and other facilities that make for a serene community living

The Ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled to hold at Ojukwu Conference Center in Owerri Imo State on August 14, 2015. The Executive Governor of Imo State Chief Rochas Okorocha will perform the ceremony. Members of his administration, the business community of the southeast, the traditional rulers and the people will be in attendance. The Chairman of World Igbo Congress, Joe Nze Eto, The Vice Chairman of WIC, Dr. Ken Igwe, the Chairman of WIC Health Committee, Dr. Jonathan Nwiloh, the Secretary-General of WIC, Dr. (Mrs.) Agatha Anosike, The Executive Director of WIC, Professor Anthony Ejiofor, Dr. Nkechi Azie, Secretary of the WIC Health Care Committee, Professor Chidi Onyenekwu and the Event Coordinator Muna Okpi among numerous people from home and abroad will be on the ground for the event.