The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Okigwe has taken significant steps to strengthen quality healthcare delivery, patient safety, and emergency preparedness with the inauguration of its Clinical Governance Committee and the successful training of staff in Basic Life Support (BLS).
The twin initiatives underscored the commitment of the Medical Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Emily Akuabia Nzeribe, to institutionalizing clinical excellence, accountability, continuous quality improvement, and global best practices in healthcare service delivery.
The Clinical Governance Committee was inaugurated on Thursday, June 25, 2026, in a landmark move aimed at promoting safe, effective, evidence-based, and patient-centred healthcare. Members took an Oath of Allegiance, pledging to uphold the Committee’s Terms of Reference, maintain ethical standards, and work collectively towards achieving excellence in patient care.
Performing the inauguration, Dr. Nzeribe described clinical governance as the bedrock of quality healthcare and charged members to discharge their responsibilities with integrity, professionalism, and commitment, ensuring that every initiative translates into improved patient outcomes and increased public confidence in the hospital.
She directed the Committee to hold monthly meetings to monitor progress, identify gaps in clinical practice, and recommend evidence-based interventions to improve healthcare delivery. The Medical Director also urged members to proactively address identified deficiencies through collaboration with relevant departments while upholding the highest standards of professionalism as ambassadors of the institution.
The Committee was also mandated to coordinate quality improvement programmes, promote patient safety initiatives, strengthen clinical audit systems, enhance clinical risk management, review clinical policies and Standard Operating Procedures, encourage operational research, promote continuous professional development, and develop measurable Key Performance Indicators for evaluating healthcare quality across the Centre.
Providing operational guidance, the Committee’s Co-Chairman, Dr. Emeka Uwha, outlined immediate priorities, including the appointment of departmental focal persons for data collection and reporting, improved clinical documentation, and the mandatory provision of comprehensive discharge summaries for every patient to ensure continuity and quality of care.
Members of the Committee commended the Medical Director for her visionary leadership and pledged their commitment to advancing the objectives of clinical governance through teamwork, accountability, professionalism, and continuous quality improvement.
They also emphasized the need for adequate institutional support and resources to enable the Committee to effectively deliver on its mandate, highlighting the critical importance of early recognition and prompt intervention in saving lives, and advocated the establishment of functional emergency response teams across departments to strengthen emergency preparedness and improve patient outcomes.
In furtherance of its efficiency, professionalism and patient safety agenda, the Clinical Governance Committee organized a hospital-wide Basic Life Support (BLS) training for 148 staff members from various departments. The training was designed to equip participants with life-saving skills for the prompt recognition and management of cardiac arrest and other medical emergencies.
The exercise was facilitated by the Chairman of the Clinical Governance Committee, Dr. John Ofoedu; the Co-Chairman and American Heart Association (AHA)-Certified BLS/ACLS Instructor, Dr. Emeka Uwah and Dr. Dennis Ekwedike.
Participants received both theoretical and practical instructions on the recognition of cardiac arrest, delivery of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of the Bag-Valve-Mask (Ambu Bag) for assisted ventilation.
The hands-on demonstrations enhanced participants’ competence, confidence, and preparedness to respond effectively to emergency situations.
At the end of the practical assessment, 85 participants successfully demonstrated satisfactory competence in Basic Life Support skills, while arrangements were made for the remaining participants to complete their assessments during subsequent training sessions.
The inauguration of the Clinical Governance Committee and the successful Basic Life Support training collectively reinforced FMC Okigwe’s determination to institutionalize a culture of patient safety, strengthen clinical accountability, improve documentation standards, reduce clinical risks, enhance patient satisfaction, and align the Centre with national and international best practices in healthcare quality and governance.
Under the leadership of Dr. Emily Akuabia Nzeribe, FMC Okigwe continues to implement strategic reforms aimed at transforming healthcare delivery, developing a highly skilled workforce, improving patient experiences, and positioning the Centre as a leading tertiary healthcare institution for clinical excellence and safe patient care in Nigeria.
