By Uche Bibilari
The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) has commended and rewarded some members of staff for their outstanding dedication towards excellence in the discharge of their duties.
Prof. Bob Ukonu, Acting Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, gave the commendation at the 2025 UATH Annual Staff and Corporate Awards in Gwagwalada on Monday.
Ukonu said that their commitment had positioned the hospital to compete favourably with leading health institutions in Nigeria and beyond.
He said that the ceremony, which had become a tradition, was instituted in 2017 to recognise excellence, diligence and selfless service towards humanity.
He said that the award ceremony had continued to improve over the years to ensure that only deserving staff were honoured.
According to him, the awardees had gone extra miles in caring for patients and strengthening the management of the hospital which sometimes was at their own risk.
“Everyone that is selected to receive this award will know that he or she has really earned it. It is not a fake.
“Some of them work at very odd hours, putting their lives on the line to make sure that things work out well,” he said.
Ukonu said that the award was a way of encouraging the hard work of the winners and also encouraging others to put in their best in the discharge of their duties towards saving lives.
He appreciated the best staff of the year, Nurse Usman Mariam, describing her as someone whose dedication stood out in the course of her duty.
He also praised the labour ward unit that emerged winner for their special performance, adding that their efforts had contributed significantly to improved patient outcomes, particularly in maternal health.
“Following concerns raised in previous assessments about maternal mortality, the hospital management made a commitment to reverse the trend.
“I can assure you today that because of the dedication of our staff working in postnatal and obstetrics care, there is massive improvement in our maternal mortality outcome,” he said.
He said that the award initiative was also meant to motivate staff, stressing that consistent hard work could earn them recognition again in subsequent years.
He urged staff to remain committed despite the challenges facing the hospital, noting that the management considered it important to celebrate excellence and dedication.
The Board Chairman, UATH, Dr Ikechukwu Odikpo, appreciated the members of staff for their dedication, resilience and their collective spirit that has carried the hospital forward.
“We have shown that when vision meets teamwork, transformation is very possible,” he said.
Odikpo, while recounting some of the hospital’s achievements in 2025, said that the pharmacy department of the hospital had a unit which was into production.
He said that the unit could now produce over 14 items including morphine, adding that they are looking forward to making it a separate unit.
He said that the hospital would set up a marketing unit where they could also sell to the outside world.
Odikpo said that these would help to improve and grow the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the hospital.
According to him, in 2026 the hospital will begin a programme called “Conquer Sudden Death” where it will educate Nigerians on how to know their body and their health status.
He said that the hospital was willing, under the Public Private Partnership, to partner with Nigerians to invest in the hospital.
“This institution is an institution that we do not need any collateral to get resources from people to invest in us.
“Anything you put here, you are sure your money will yield.
“Because of the opportunity the president has given us, we want to leverage on it to do a lot of things for the hospital in 2026”, he said.
The chairman said that it would be a thing of joy to see UATH with a befitting staff quarters and also making sure the internal places of the hospital are tiled with solar light in place.
Dr Anthony Bawa, Chairman, 2025 Staff Award Committee and Servicom Nodal Officer, said that the committee did not hand pick the winners of the different categories of award.
Bawa said that the awardees were selected in their various departments, adding that the committee was only there to coordinate.
He said that the award was to appreciate the unconditional commitment to be a blessing to lives.
“This award is an appreciation of hard work. We did not hand pick the awardees, rather it came from people in each department and the person with the highest nomination is the best,” he said.
He encouraged those that did not win to continue putting in their best, adding that even if they were not recognised God sees their services.
One of the awardees, Dr Omachoko Oguche, who won the award of consultant with the highest number of surgeries, on behalf of the awardees appreciated the management for recognising hard work and their dedication to serve humanity.
“An award is a call to more work, when you are awarded, you are called to do more.
“We are more than willing to continue to give our best in order to move our hospital to the next level,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the highlight of the event was a cash and plaque presentation to the best staff of the year, Nurse Usman Mariam and the best department/unit which was the labour ward.
There was also special recognition of some NGOs like PENGASSAN Foundation, Stanley Inye Lawson Foundation and the Cuddle School Abuja. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman
