Foreign Doctors And Surgeries Will Take Centre Stage As The Abia ANPA Medical Mission 2026 Starts Outreach

A Free Medical Outreach organised by the Abia State Government in collaboration with the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), is set to commence on April 13, with about 25 doctors from the United States expected to be on ground to conduct free surgeries and medical consultations.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, announced this at Government House Umuahia during a press conference to herald the crucial medical mission scheduled to run from April 13 to April 17, 2026.
He noted that the Governor had directed that another ANPA Medical Mission be held this year to provide more free medical services to Abians, following the success of a similar outreach conducted two years ago.”His Excellency sometime last year, instructed the Ministry of Health to get in touch with the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), to plan and execute a medical outreach for the Abia people this year, and that is coming in the wake of the similar exercise that occurred two years ago, in 2024.
“You recall that in the 11 pillars, among the mandates of His Excellency in the health sector, one of them speaks to partnering or collaborating with physicians of Nigerian origin,
“of course Abia State origin as well, that are resident in different parts of the world, to come back home and work with the local team to extend high quality, affordable care to Ndi Abia,
“as a way of ensuring universal health coverage, ensuring that our people enjoy the highest quality of health care, and this is together with all the multifarious activities that are going on in the health sector simultaneously,” Prof. Uche stated.

According to the Commissioner, the programme will begin on April 13 with the arrival of the physicians, while the opening ceremony will take place at the Michael Okpara Auditorium by 12 noon on April 14, 2026. Full commencement of the outreach will also begin on the same day.
He disclosed that two hospitals have been earmarked for the exercise , Aba General Hospital and the Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia.

All eye-related cases and surgeries will be handled at the Specialist Hospital, while general surgeries will take place at Aba General Hospital.
“We have a team of about 25 doctors that are coming from the U.S., and then we also have our local team that will work with them to ensure we have a very robust team, and they are going to operate and consult on April 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th.
“It’s going to be a high-volume time, a very intensive time, but our team is prepared to be able to ensure that within this time frame, we’re able to meet our target.
“We want to see that at least 1,500 medical consultations, and of course up to 100 surgeries.
“The eye surgeries will hold at the Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, in the eye section, and so we’re going to have two ophthalmologists who are going to work with the team there to deliver free eye surgeries,”
Prof. Uche thanked Governor Alex Otti for providing the enabling environment and partial funding for the programme, noting that ANPA is contributing expertise and some consumables.
“But the logistics and the other things that are required to make sure that this is a success, His Excellency has graciously approved funds for this to happen, and we want to thank him for doing that,”

He further revealed that the programme would also include sexual and reproductive health education, training of health workers, as well as the Abia Healthcare Rebirth Initiative.
“There is another layer to this, another part of this programme,
ANPA has it as a policy, anywhere they go for outreach, they want to educate younger people on sexual and reproductive health.
“There is another part of the project, and that is the training of health workers. We’re going to train 80 health workers on basic life support.
“Remember that in December, when we had the Global Abia Medical Outreach, we also trained health workers on how to resuscitate people.
“Of course, His Excellency and the state is doing a lot in the healthcare sector, but to put all these things together, ensure that our people get maximum benefits,
“we need to champion a culture change that helps our health workers to embrace compassionate care, embrace the best practices, and then, of course, deliver the highest quality of healthcare,” Prof. Uche stated.
The Commissioner also used the opportunity to announce the commencement of rural emergency medical services across the state from April 10.
“we’re starting with the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovations and Initiatives (MMRII) local governments.
“The Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovations and Initiatives is a programme of the Federal Ministry of Health to try to drive down maternal mortality.
“So, as I leave here, we’re going to send three ambulances to the MMRII local government,” Prof. Uche noted.

Also speaking, the Head of the Local Team of the Abia ANPA Medical Mission 2026 and Director General of ABSACA, Dr. Uloaku Ukaegbu, described the outreach as a well-structured and carefully coordinated exercise.
“To be precised, from Tuesday (the actual date of commencement of the outreach) next week to the end of next week, we’re going to be having that mission.
“So, we have been in communication with the team from America. In the last two months, every week, we have had delegations to ensure that everything that is going to happen next week is well-planned and well-thought-out.
Dr. Ukaegbu added that free screening, including blood tests and other investigations, are already ongoing ahead of the surgeries.
“Those that will require blood transfusions, the blood is being provided so that they will be transfused before the surgery.
“The students in Abia (Ogbonnaya Onu) Poly and the youths in Abia are also aware from our flyers, from the jingles, that when they come, they will have their sexual and health reproductive questions answered by experts. They will also have some incentives.
“They will be provided with protective commodities and everything to ensure that they live healthy sexual lives.
“Like my Commissioner has said, it’s (ANPA outreach) going to provide us an opportunity for skills transfer from those who are coming from diaspora to our team,” Dr. Ukaegbu stated.