Prof. Ize-Iyamu Takes Over As UBTH CMD, Promises To Strengthen Healthcare Infrastructure, Improve Staff Welfare

By Raphael Okhiria

The newly appointed Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of the Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof (Mrs.) Idia Ize-Iyamu on Monday officially assumed office, amid cheers and fanfare from members of staff, students, friends and well-wishers.

She pledged to strengthen health care infrastructure and improve staff welfare at the tertiary health institution in line with the President Bola Tinubu “Renewed Hope” Agenda to reposition the health sector.

The Professor of Orthodontics, who is the first female CMD in UBTH, first Dentist as CMD in UBTH and first Orthodontist as CMD to hold the exalted office expressed her dedication to excellence and to supporting the national drive for equitable, cost-effective, and reliable healthcare for all Nigerians.

According to Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu, “I am profoundly grateful to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the confidence reposed in me through this appointment. I pledge my total commitment to the “Renewed Hope” Agenda, particularly in the health sector, which seeks to restore faith in public institutions and deliver healthcare that is accessible, affordable, and of the highest standard.

“My sincere gratitude also goes to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, for his recommendation and the trust he has placed in me. Honorable Minister, I assure you of my absolute dedication to excellence and to supporting the national drive for equitable, cost-effective, and reliable healthcare for all Nigerians.” Prof. Ize-Iyamu said.

She noted that the race for the CMD position was not without some challenges but appreciated her colleagues and predecessors, including the immediate past CMD, Prof. Darlington Obaseki, and those who also contested for the position of CMD.

“To my predecessors in this office, especially Professor Darlington Obaseki, I salute your efforts and sacrifices. Each of you built bridges that brought UBTH to where it stands today. It is now my responsibility to strengthen those bridges and to build new ones toward a future of greatness.

“We shall pursue this vision through excellence in clinical care, relentless research, and the nurturing of future healthcare leaders. We will cultivate a patient-first culture that measures success by outcomes and experience- shorter waiting times, safer surgeries, and kinder wards.

“We will renew our infrastructure with purpose- clean water, reliable power, resilient emergency services, and environments that heal. We will partner broadly and boldly with the Federal Government’s “Renewed Hope” Agenda, with Edo State, with the University of Benin, with professional bodies, philanthropists, alumni, industry counterparts, and the diaspora, because the problems we face are bigger than any one institution, and so are the solutions,” she said.

The new UBTH CMD also assured of improved staff welfare under her watch, saying, “But no CMD, however determined, can achieve this alone. UBTH is not its buildings, nor its machines. UBTH is its people – doctors who bring skill, nurses who bring comfort, pharmacists who bring prescriptions, laboratory scientists who bring clarity, administrators who bring order, cleaners who bring purity, students who bring curiosity, and patients who bring their trust. If you wear a UBTH badge, you are part of the cure.

“I wish to sincerely acknowledge my colleagues, including those who also aspired to this office. Your commitment to UBTH is deeply inspiring, and I count on your cooperation and support as we labour together for the progress of our institution.

“As the first woman to serve as CMD of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, I stand not as an exception but as an example of what is possible when merit is sought and when opportunity meets with preparedness. I carry this responsibility as a message to every girl child in Nigeria; there are no ceilings too high, no doors too heavy, and no dreams too distant when you strive to excel.” she added.

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