The David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, Uburu in Ebonyi State has continued to soar in age and quality. The hospital on July 1, 2026 did not just change its pioneer Chief Medical Director, it also changed gears, bearing with it a changed personality and, probably, changed values and priorities.
Prof. Uzoma Maryrose Agwu took an honourable bow after four years of building a strong structure and operational foundation, and in came Prof. Chihurumnanya Alo with his uncommon but familiar zeal to consolidate and excel upon the legacies of his predecessor.
Alo’s first take-over sentence as CMD contains the urgency of a deadline and reveals his first achievement priority for DUFUTH: the winning of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria’s assessment and securing of its accreditation for undergraduate medical students training.
He said: “I want to quickly remind us that even before I settle down, one major thing we have to pursue is the accreditation of undergraduate medical students training. By August, the MDCN will be coming for that accreditation and it is going to be a rigorous one but I know that with the calibre of persons in the management and the things we have on ground, if we put them in the right places, we will be able to achieve that. So, it is as if the target has already been set before us in the couple of say, eight weeks to be ready for that accreditation. Maybe that is the first achievement this new team will score.”
This statement is significant. Under Prof. Agwu, DUFUTH grew from an empty shell to a 450-bed teaching hospital with CT, MRI and other sophisticated medical equipment and specialist centres. If this medical school status is attained in August, leveraging on structures on ground and the repositioning from the new CMD, it means that Prof. Alo will have done in eight weeks what many tertiary hospitals take years to achieve. That would be high-risk, high-reward politics.
Prof. Alo is a Consultant Public Health Physician and Infectious Diseases Specialist, Fellow of WACP Community Medicine, with 22 years in epidemiology. He comes with experience from Alex Ekwueme Federal University and Ebonyi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency. This CV is a strategy in itself: DUFUTH’s next phase is not about more machines, but systems, prevention, and human capital. His background in Primary Health Care suggests he will push community medicine, outreach, and disease surveillance to the front burner. Such are areas the MDCN heavily prioritises as criteria during accreditation.
Prof. Alo, in a manner uncommon with technocrats, added in his speech a reconciliatory note to the staff and management of the hospital: “If you already had a sword drawn, put it back in the sheathe.” He admitted he may not have Prof. Agwu’s “strength,” but he desires above strength “a peaceful atmosphere.”
This is deliberate. Teaching hospitals often fracture during CMD transitions. Grievances over promotions, placements and remuneration can, among other setbacks, derail MDCN visits. By prioritising “unity, staff welfare, and attitudinal shift,” Alo is treating staff cohesion as clinical infrastructure. No accreditation team passes a divided hospital. The cooperation, diligence, and dedication of staff are key to achieving his set goals.
This reconciliatory message, without pretence, also speaks to the elites of Uburu communities in their dealings with the new CMD.
They should genuinely act in accordance with their strategic position as the host community of a national health institution whose day-to-day operations are not dependent upon their whims and dictates but upon the set standards of its establishing law. Not being careful to avoid the resurgence of the ‘unwarranted’ battles against the former CMD will definitely distract the new head and shatter ‘our’ collective dream of nurturing a World class Teaching hospital in DUFUTH. On the part of the new CMD, he should not despise the counsels of his predecessor as it will help him tread with caution. Experience teaches better than zeal.
The new CMD’s pledge to stock clinical commodities “in abundance” hits DUFUTH’s biggest patient complaint: empty pharmacy shelves. But this is dependent on funds availability and the government’s political will. Professor Alo’s statement in his address: “There is no point establishing any hospital if that hospital does not provide effective clinical treatment,” is a reflective Pill for both the Federal Ministry of Health, the Board and the management of DUFUTH. The question on everyone’s lips is whether the federal government will increase the subvention and other financial allocations to the hospital to meet up with this and other teething challenges including getting the area connected to Power from the National grid. This request had remained a regular feature in Prof. Agwu’s communications with the federal authorities. The new CMD should not relent.
Invoking the founder Engr. David Umahi’s strong foundation, added to modern equipment and skilled staff already put in place in the past four years, Prof. Alo reinforced DUFUTH’s potentials in assuming a “major destination for medical tourism.” Prof. Agwu structured the hospital. Professor Alo should now run it like a patient-first institution.
Prof. Agwu’s era was marked with “build it.” Prof. Alo’s era should focus on “prove it.” Indeed, the next eight weeks will stand as a litmus test whether the new CMD’s unity, public health planning, and stocked commodities can convert DUFUTH from a working hospital into an accredited medical training ground. If MDCN signs off in August, Alo’s “peaceful atmosphere” strategy will become the new approach: stability first, accreditation next and medical tourism after.
DUFUTH is on course to reverse medical tourism. All hands must be on deck to drive it to ‘our’ desired destination. The Hospital’s Board, Prof. Alo and his management team, the staff and host community should close ranks towards ensuring that the hedge is not broken to let the serpent bite.
. Agwu writes from Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.