By Chido Nwakanma
If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mouse trap than his neighbours, though he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.
This profound saying by American philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson appeared in “The Value of Good Works” in the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1882. It came to mind in November 2024 as I drove into Regions Healthcare Hospitals and Specialist Clinics, 10 kilometres from Owerri, the capital of Imo State. The buzz around Regions tickled my nose for news.
Business and management experts see Emerson’s assertion as reflecting the value of innovation, differentiation, and quality. The Nigerian triangle cities of Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt seemed the obvious choice for setting up a high-end medical facility. However, Dr Benjamin Dozie Anyanwu defied received wisdom and chose Mgbirichi, a small town between Obinze and Umuagwo on the Owerri-Port Harcourt expressway.
COVID-19 paradoxically contributed to the birth of Regions Hospital. Dr. Anyanwu lost his 93-year-old father and a dear sister. During his visit for the ceremonies, Nigeria shut down because of the pandemic, so he stayed back entirely.
Regions Stroke and Neuroscience Hospital provides high-quality medical care, particularly in neurology. The facility was established to address the country’s growing need for specialised neurological services. It prides itself on its renown in stroke and epilepsy care.
Regions Healthcare provides a comprehensive range of services, including but not limited to:
• Neurology and Neurosurgery: Specialized care for conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain tumours.
• Stroke Unit: An acute care unit dedicated to patients who have experienced strokes, designed to minimise death and disability through specialised treatment.
• Epilepsy Monitoring Unit: Advanced diagnostic services for seizure disorders.
• Neuro-Rehabilitation Program: Utilizing cutting-edge technology to aid recovery for neurological patients.
• Intensive Care Units (ICU): Equipped for neurological, neurosurgical, cardiovascular, and general intensive care.
• Cardiology: Including open-heart surgeries
• Endocrinology: Addressing endocrine diseases such as diabetes. Thyroid disease. Etc.
• Rheumatology: Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis and other connective tissue diseases.
• Urology: Prostate cancer, prostate surgeries, and other related urological problems.
• Burns and Plastics: A two-bed unit is dedicated explicitly to burns and intensive care, separate from the general ICU.
• Endoscopy & Colonoscopy
• Gastroenterology and Surgical Gastroenterology Unit: Staffed by experienced consultants in all areas.
• Orthopaedics: They also perform knee replacement surgeries
• Nephrology: There is a well-equipped nephrology and dialysis unit staffed by a consultant in operation 24/7.
Regions also provide services for other medical services cutting across all disease entities as well as surgical intervention.
Regions continue to expand its offerings into laboratory and radiological services. They provide CT-scan services, which run round the clock. They also have a mini cardiac catheterization lab capable of performing pacemaker placements and revascularizations.
To enhance its radiology services, Regions has introduced a state-of-the-art 1.5 Tesla MRI powered by artificial intelligence—the first of its kind in the region.
This ultra-modern imaging technology represents a significant milestone for the hospital. With a magnetic field strength approximately 30,000 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field, the 1.5 Tesla MRI is designed to support a wide range of clinical applications. It delivers exceptional image quality, making it particularly effective for diagnosing conditions in neuroimaging, musculoskeletal care and more.
Johnson Owanta visited Regions as a director in the Abia State Civil Service. He recalled: “On July 31, 2018, I was the second patient of Regions Hospital shortly after they commenced. After several tests, I was referred to Dr. Benjamin Dozie Anyanwu, the Executive Medical Director(EMD). After reviewing the results, he recommended that I go for an MRI. The nearest centre with credible equipment was in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. I drove down, getting to Yenagoa around 4 p.m. After the tests, I moved back to Owerri.
By 8 a.m. the following day, the EMD was at his desk to attend to me. He confirmed that the Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre had emailed him the MRI report the previous evening, which he had studied. He reassured me on most counts.
“Overall, I was impressed with the on-site facilities and the professionalism of the Regions team. I keep receiving calls from the hospital to monitor my progress, which is atypical of this environment. I need to say that some of the Regions’ folk have grown into friends.”
Mr Sam John affirmed: “I am encouraged by their professionalism. My company supplied and did the oxygen piping. The services that they render do not come cheaply. Those who have found courage and means can return to their feet.”
Regions Healthcare fulfils Dr. Anyanwu’s dream. He left Nigeria in 1996 to practise abroad but determined to return to serve where the need was acute. To that end, he attended various events where like-minded people discussed the whys and wherefores of returning to the homeland. He found the plans and estimates in millions of dollars far-fetched.
He chose the alternative of starting within his means, but it still cost him plenty. He liquidated his retirement benefits, stating, “I closed my 401K of about $700,000 and paid a fine to the US government for doing that.” This, combined with an additional $500,000 raised by his immediate family as initial start-up funds, placed significant financial stress on his savings and put the economic safety of his family at risk.
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