By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Chief Medical Director of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku, Awka, Dr. Maureen Uche Umeakuewulu, has advised young medical doctors not to wait passively for career opportunities, but to position themselves strategically to take advantage of available openings.
Umeakuewulu gave the advice on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, when she received the 2026 graduating class of Medicine and Surgery of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), led by its class representative, Dr. Chinemerem Sixtus Edebeatu, on a courtesy visit to her office.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, the graduates, who completed their studies in September, expressed appreciation for the support and encouragement they had received from the CMD since she assumed office.
They also congratulated her on her recent birthday and offered prayers for continued wisdom, strength and divine guidance in the discharge of her responsibilities.
The statement disclosed that the graduating doctors also used the visit to appeal for consideration for housemanship placements at the teaching hospital as they prepare to take the next step in their medical careers.
Responding, Umeakuewulu expressed delight at receiving the graduates and encouraged them to approach their professional journeys with initiative, foresight and readiness to seize opportunities.
She stressed that career advancement often required more than waiting for opportunities to present themselves, noting that young professionals needed to deliberately position themselves, remain alert to available openings and equip themselves to take advantage of such opportunities when they emerged.
On their request for housemanship placements, the CMD reportedly acknowledged their interest in undertaking their internship at the teaching hospital but explained that accommodating the entire graduating class at once could be difficult because of existing constraints.
According to her, the hospital’s housemanship arrangements are subject to limitations, as the programme was not under the direct control of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), hence leaving the hospital to bear the associated burden.
She, however, assured the graduates that some members of the class would be considered for placement as the need arose.
Meanwhile, in a related development reflecting the hospital management’s focus on emergency response and patient care, COOUTH has introduced an Emergency Care Pack designed to reduce delays in providing initial treatment to patients brought to the hospital in critical conditions.
The initiative, according to a statement by the COOUTH Media Unit, is intended to address situations in which patients arrive requiring urgent medical attention but their relatives are yet to provide essential medical consumables needed for treatment.
The statement explained that the pack would make essential materials available to healthcare workers so that appropriate initial care could commence without unnecessary delays associated with opening patients’ folders and waiting for relatives to procure emergency supplies.
It added that the initiative was designed to support patients presenting with maternal, adult and paediatric emergencies, with the packs containing essential medical consumables and drugs, including infusions such as 5 per cent dextrose, as well as lancets and glucometer strips, as clinically indicated.
According to the COOUTH Media Unit, the arrangement would enable healthcare workers to begin appropriate care while patients’ relatives made arrangements for other requirements, helping to bridge the gap between arrival at the hospital and the provision of additional supplies.
The statement noted that the intervention was part of the administration of Umeakuewulu’s commitment to practical measures that prioritise patients’ immediate needs, support healthcare workers and ease the burden on families during medical emergencies.
The institution also linked the initiative to the broader healthcare vision of the Anambra State Government under Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, describing improved healthcare delivery and people-centred development as important components of the state’s long-term development aspirations under Anambra Vision 2070.
This reporter, Izunna Okafor, gathered that Emergency Care Pack is expected to provide an initial response mechanism for patients arriving in emergency situations, particularly where delays in obtaining essential supplies could affect the commencement of treatment.
