By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku-Awka, has established a permanent committee to review deaths, severe illnesses and near-miss cases in the hospital as part of measures to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes.
The Standing Committee on Morbidity and Mortality Review was inaugurated on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr Maureen Uche Umeakuewulu, who said the initiative would help the institution identify weaknesses in its clinical processes and learn from cases that result in adverse outcomes.
Umeakuewulu explained that the committee would provide a structured platform where mortality cases, severe morbidity and near-miss incidents could be professionally examined to determine what went wrong, identify areas requiring improvement and develop recommendations capable of preventing avoidable complications or deaths.
She stressed that the decision to make the committee a standing body, rather than an ad hoc arrangement, was deliberate, saying regular reviews would allow COOUTH to build institutional knowledge and continuously improve the way patients are managed.
According to a statement issued by the Public Relations Unit of the institution, the Committee is chaired by Emeritus Professor F.C. Akpuaka, former Provost of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University College of Medicine.
Other members of the Committee include Professor Bryan Adimma, former Commissioner for Health and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Professor Chukwudi Okani, Professor of Pathology; Dr Charles Ugwunze, Consultant Pulmonologist and Head of Internal Medicine; Dr Uche Umeh, Head of Community Medicine; and Mrs Uzoamaka Onunuju, Confidential Secretary to the CMD.
According to the CMD, the members were selected for their professional experience and expertise across different areas of medicine, with the diversity expected to give the committee a broad perspective when examining complex clinical cases.
The inauguration also marked six months since Umeakuewulu assumed office as the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, providing an opportunity for her administration to take stock of its progress and restate its plans for the institution.
She identified strengthening clinical services, improving training and advancing research as the three major areas around which her administration’s agenda is built, while pointing to the increasing utilisation of hospital services as an indication of growing patronage.
The CMD also disclosed that COOUTH was receiving new specialised equipment as part of efforts to improve its capacity, including equipment for orthopaedic surgery and a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine for the Paediatrics Department. The CPAP machine is expected to support newborns and other children who require respiratory assistance.
Umeakuewulu further said work was ongoing to improve the hospital environment and overall clinical capacity, while acknowledging the support of the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, which she said had contributed to the ongoing development of COOUTH.
She said recommendations from the new committee would be used to strengthen clinical practice, improve accountability and build greater confidence in the services provided by the teaching hospital. She also assured the members of Management’s cooperation in carrying out their assignment.
Reacting shortly after the inauguration, the Committee’s Chairman, Emeritus Professor Akpuaka, welcomed the decision to establish the body on a permanent basis, saying the arrangement would provide a sustained mechanism for examining clinical outcomes and improving healthcare delivery.
Akpuaka expressed confidence that the experience and varied professional backgrounds of the committee members would enable them to make useful contributions to patient care, assuring the hospital management of their commitment to applying their collective expertise to the assignment.
