Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has inaugurated a newly upgraded Neuropsychiatric Hospital and a new General Hospital in Rumuigbo, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, as part of efforts to expand access to specialised and general healthcare in the state.

The facilities were commissioned on Thursday, with outgoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, performing the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

The upgraded Neuropsychiatric Hospital includes a 100-bed rehabilitation centre designed to provide care for people dealing with mental health and substance-abuse challenges. The facility also has male and female wards, consulting rooms, a pharmacy, laboratory, private wards, recreational areas and an electroconvulsive therapy centre.

The new General Hospital includes Accident and Emergency services, consulting rooms, a pharmacy, laboratory, X-ray facilities, maternity services, an operating theatre, intensive care facilities and male and female general wards, among other services. Each of the two facilities has also been provided with a new ambulance.

Speaking at the commissioning, Fubara said the decision to comprehensively rebuild and modernise the neuropsychiatric facility followed an inspection of the old mental health complex and rehabilitation centre.

According to the governor, the previous condition of the premises raised concerns about security and drug abuse. He alleged that the poorly secured complex had been used as a channel for supplying drugs to people undergoing rehabilitation.

Fubara said the reconstruction, perimeter fencing and controlled access to the premises were intended to reduce unauthorised activities and improve security around the facility.

“This premises was a drug trafficking centre,” the governor said, explaining that people could previously enter the compound freely and allegedly supply drugs to inmates.

He said the new security arrangements would make access more controlled and help curb such activities.

Fubara also urged the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council and residents of the host community to take ownership of the facilities and protect them from vandalism and theft.

Osigwe commended the Rivers State Government for investing in mental healthcare, describing the sector as one that has often been neglected and stigmatised.

He urged Nigerians to change their attitudes towards people seeking mental healthcare, stressing that mental health challenges are not limited to severe psychiatric conditions.

According to Osigwe, people experiencing stress, depression, financial pressures, domestic difficulties and other personal crises may also require professional mental healthcare and should not be subjected to discrimination.

He called for greater public acceptance of mental healthcare facilities and encouraged people who need assistance to seek treatment without fear of stigma.

The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, said the General Hospital was equipped with a range of services, including an intensive care unit, newborn intensive care unit, paediatric wards, maternity facilities, surgery and postnatal and antenatal services.

He added that the neuropsychiatric facility includes a substance and drug-abuse rehabilitation centre, while the wider complex has a 216-bed students’ hostel and staff accommodation.

The hospital complex is also supported by a 500KVA transformer, a 350KVA generating set and solar panels with inverter batteries capable of supplying up to 120KVA.

Fubara said the projects were intended to strengthen healthcare delivery in Rivers State and ensure that residents, particularly those in Obio/Akpor and surrounding communities, have better access to medical and mental health services.

The inauguration comes as the state government continues to emphasise healthcare infrastructure as part of its broader development programme, while officials and health advocates stress the need to combine improved facilities with greater public awareness and acceptance of mental healthcare.