The new Chief Medical Director of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, Dr. Maureen Uche Umeakuewulu, has officially taken over from her predecessor, Dr. Joe Akabuike, as the Chief Medical Director of COOUTH, today, Monday, 16th March, 2026.
Handing over to Dr. Umeakuewulu, the outgoing CMD, Dr. Akabuike, who appreciated Governor Chukwuma Soludo for finding him worthy to serve, said that the Governor made the best choice in appointing Dr. Umeakuewulu as his successor.
He revealed that the greatest challenge facing the hospital is accommodation for patients, noting that when he assumed office, the hospital recorded about seven hundred and fifty thousand patient attendances per year, but that the figure has increased to one point five million annually, showing that the hospital is moving forward in both infrastructural development and human service delivery.
Responding, Dr. Umeakuewulu assured that she will continue from where Dr. Akabuike stopped, promising that her major task is to ensure that the hospital becomes one of the best in all ramifications, and stressing that all hands must be on deck to make the hospital a centre of excellence, as she cannot achieve it alone.
The new CMD appreciated Governor Soludo for deeming her fit for the great responsibility, promising that she will not disappoint him and the good people of Anambra State, noting that her new position is an opportunity to serve the people who need the hospital’s services at all times.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, commended Governor Soludo for the huge resources he has committed to the health sector, which have transformed the state’s health system, adding that the new CMD will perform excellently in office because of her wealth of experience over the years, and urging the management and staff of the hospital to support her in moving the tertiary health institution forward.
The handover ceremony climaxed with a Holy Mass at the hospital to welcome Dr. Umeakuewulu into her new office.
