US-based Foundation Begins Training of Ministry Personnel in Healthcare Delivery Culture Change in Abia

Boniface Okoro in Umuahia

A United States-based non-profit healthcare organisation, Quantus Medical Foundation, has commenced training of Abia State Ministry of Health personnel in healthcare delivery aimed at transforming healthcare delivery culture in the state.

Quantus Medical Foundation, dedicated to transforming healthcare delivery in Nigeria through culture change, workforce empowerment, emergency preparedness, patient safety, and system strengthening, is executing the training through its flagship programme, ‘WeCare Nigeria’, in partnership with Abia State government through the Ministry of Health. The training would give birth to Abia Health Care Reform Initiative (AHCRI).

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Quantus Medical Foundation and Lead of WeCare Nigeria, Dr. Nnenna Ihekoromadu, said that the week-long programme combines leadership engagement, Basic Life Support (BLS) training, compassionate-care reinforcement, and Patient Liaison Officer (PLO) training and deployment to support stronger emergency response, better patient experience, and more accountable hospital operations.

The American-based physician explained that the culture change is anchored on the Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence (CARE) model which would position Abia State to pilot a more responsive model of healthcare delivery that would pay attention to promoting people-centred healthcare systems.

This step, she said, is expected to strengthen compassionate care, emergency preparedness, workforce support, patient safety, and accountability across healthcare delivery in Abia State.

The engagement which began from April 14 and would end on April 23, 2026, brings together doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory professionals, allied health personnel, porters, hospital leadership, and ministry officials in a coordinated effort to strengthen care delivery in Abia.

Already, the Foundation has trained about 60 Nurses and Doctors on Basic Life Support (BLS) which deals with resuscitation of patients; and Patients Liaison Officers (PLO), the change agents/watchdogs that would ensure that every health professional in the healthcare delivery chain performs his or duties in real time to save lives or be sanctioned for non-performance.

According to her, these activities are designed to help develop and refine a practical culture-change model that could strengthen hospital performance, especially in emergency settings where time, teamwork, and preparedness are critical.

THISDAY gathered that a key operational component of the initiative is the training and deployment of PLOs to selected pilot hospitals, including Abia Specialist Hospital, Umuahia; General Hospital, Aba; and Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba.

“The PLO model is intended to improve patient flow, strengthen communication between patients and healthcare providers, support compassionate care, and escalate operational issues in real time so that problems can be identified and addressed quickly,” she said.

Speaking in an interview, Ihekoromadu described the engagement as a practical and supportive model for healthcare transformation.

“WeCare Nigeria and Abia Health Care Reform Initiative (AHCRI) are about strengthening the culture of care inside our hospitals. When leadership, systems, and frontline teams are aligned, patients receive safer; more compassionate and more timely care, especially in emergencies.”

The Foundation noted that this first phase in Abia is intended to create an operational baseline, support healthcare workers more effectively, and generate a scalable model for wider implementation across additional hospitals and, over time, across the wider health system in the state.