By Sunday Apah
Delta State’s heavy investment in advanced medical equipment is expected to sharply cut the more than ₦100 billion that residents reportedly spend each year seeking treatment outside the state and abroad.
State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojaeme, made the disclosure on the sidelines of the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026 at the Events Centre in Asaba.
Onojaeme explained that the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori administration’s purchase and installation of sophisticated diagnostic tools has boosted the state’s ability to deliver specialised care that previously forced many residents to travel elsewhere for treatment.
He pointed in particular to the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines now operating at Asaba Specialist Hospital, Central Hospital Warri and the Delta State University Teaching Hospital in Oghara. These facilities, he said, are major steps toward reversing the outflow of patients for medical care.
The investments, he added, will improve access to advanced diagnostic services while keeping substantial financial resources within the state by reducing the number of people who travel to other parts of Nigeria or overseas for treatment.
According to the commissioner, the expanding capacity for high-level medical services forms part of the administration’s wider push to upgrade healthcare delivery and raise key health performance indicators.
“The investment of His Excellency, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, in high-end medical equipment, like the MRI that has just started working at Asaba Specialist Hospital, the one at Central Hospital, Warri, and the one at Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, will reduce the medical export we are doing in the state,” Onojaeme stated.
He stressed, however, that government cannot fund the entire healthcare system alone and called on the private sector to invest in complementary areas.
“The medical equipment cannot be done by the state government alone. The investment in the medical sector cannot be done by the state government alone. We need the private sector to come into other areas that they need to invest in to help improve the key performance indicators in the state,” he said.
Onojaeme noted that the results of government interventions are already visible, especially in maternal health. He revealed that maternal mortality in Delta has fallen from roughly 120 deaths per 100,000 live births to below 100 per 100,000 live births.
Healthcare performance, he emphasised, should not be judged simply by the number of hospitals or buildings provided, but by measurable gains in the health and survival of citizens.
“In the health sector, it is not about infrastructure. It is not measured by infrastructure; it is measured by some key performance indicators like maternal mortality and under-five mortality rate,” he said.
Continued government investment, combined with stronger private-sector involvement, would further strengthen the state’s health system, cut medical tourism and help position Delta as a centre for specialised healthcare services.
