By Nkiru Anakor
The Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku-Awka, has inaugurated a Standing Committee on Morbidity and Mortality Review to strengthen patient safety, improve clinical practice and promote continuous learning from serious medical outcomes.
Inaugurated on Sept. 16, by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. Maureen Uche Umeakuewulu, the body will provide a structured platform for reviewing mortality cases, severe morbidity and near-miss events, with the aim of identifying gaps and improving patient care.
Dr. Umeakuewulu said the reviews would help the hospital examine clinical processes, learn from challenging cases and develop measures to reduce avoidable adverse outcomes.
She explained that making the review body a standing structure rather than an ad hoc arrangement would ensure that lessons from serious cases are consistently documented and translated into improvements in clinical practice.
The committee is chaired by Emeritus Professor F. C. Akpuaka, former Provost of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University College of Medicine. Other members are 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.
The inauguration coincided with the CMD’s six-month milestone in office, providing an opportunity to review progress and reaffirm Management’s commitment to repositioning COOUTH as a centre of excellence in healthcare delivery, training and research.
Dr. Umeakuewulu said the administration’s priorities are centred on strengthening clinical services, advancing training and promoting research.
She noted increasing patient utilisation indices at the hospital, alongside ongoing improvements to its environment and investments in clinical equipment.
Among the recent investments, she cited the delivery of specialised orthopaedic surgery equipment and the acquisition of a CPAP machine for the Paediatrics Department to support newborns and other children requiring respiratory assistance.
The CMD acknowledged the support of the Executive Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, saying it had contributed to the hospital’s ongoing development.
She said the members were selected for their professional competence, experience and diverse expertise, assuring them of management’s full cooperation.
She added that recommendations arising from the reviews would help guide improvements in clinical practice, strengthen accountability and support efforts to build public confidence in the hospital.
Responding, the Chairman, Emeritus Professor F. C. Akpuaka, commended management for establishing the permanent review structure, describing it as an important step towards improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
He assured management that the members would apply their collective expertise to advancing the objectives for which the body was established.
Nkiru Anakor is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State.
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