Professor Hippolite Amadi's Dedication to Premature Babies Exploited by Nigerian Hospital Leadership
This may sound like another story of a Nigerian in the diaspora who trusted friends or relatives to manage his hard-earned investments in Nigeria, only to discover he had been swindled.
However, this story goes beyond such a familiar scenario.
Professor Hippolite Amadi, an internationally recognized expert in neonatal care, has been left on the brink of financial collapse after his efforts to help save premature babies in Nigeria were callously exploited by the Chief Medical Director of a federal medical center in Owerri.
Professor Amadi, who has dedicated his life to developing life-saving technology for premature infants, took out a loan of £98,000 (about N82.3 million) to equip a neonatal care unit at the Federal Medical Centre Owerri (FMCO).
Despite completing the project in May 2022 and the unit being operational for over 30 months, the hospital has yet to pay him a single kobo for his work, leaving him in debt of nearly £175,000.
Professor Hippolite Amadi’s passion for neonatal care stems from his engineering background.
Educated in Nigeria, Amadi had long recognised the lack of suitable incubators and equipment designed for Nigeria’s climate, which led to the high mortality rate among premature babies. His dream was to create cost-effective and sustainable neonatal solutions tailored to Nigeria’s needs.
Despite early resistance from local hospital administrators, who favoured importing expensive foreign equipment, Amadi persevered.
After gaining global recognition and expertise through his work at Imperial College London, he established the Neonatal Concerns for Africa Organisation and worked tirelessly to reduce neonatal mortality across Nigeria and other developing countries.
Professor Amadi’s goodwill and dedication to saving lives were manipulated by Dr. Kingsley Achigbu, the Chief Medical Director of FMCO.
Despite having successfully collaborated with previous medical directors, Amadi faced deceit when Dr. Achigbu persuaded him to refurbish and expand the hospital’s Special Care Unit for premature babies.
Amadi designed and directed the construction of a new neonatal unit at FMCO, securing funds to equip it through a personal loan.
Upon completion, Dr. Achigbu assured him that payment would be made within four weeks. However, after the unit’s unveiling and CNN’s coverage of the project, FMCO failed to honor its financial obligations.
Despite numerous petitions to the Federal Ministry of Health and other government bodies, Professor Amadi’s appeals for payment have been ignored. Attempts to recoup funds have been met with silence or token efforts, leaving him facing mounting debts while the neonatal unit, which he funded, continues to operate without compensation.
Professor Amadi’s case raises alarming questions about how Nigeria treats its diaspora professionals who invest in the country’s development. He has been forced to endure extreme financial hardship, while the hospital enjoys the benefits of his work.
As Professor Amadi struggles to repay a loan taken to help save Nigerian babies, the question remains: Is this how Nigeria rewards its patriots? The international community and concerned Nigerians must demand that FMCO and the Federal Ministry of Health rectify this injustice and pay the debts owed to Professor Amadi for his selfless service to the nation.
"Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author, Professor Hippolite Amadi, and do not reflect the official policy or position of Legit.ng."
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Source: Legit.ng
