Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopedic Centre: When Falling Sick Becomes Desirable

By David-Chyddy Eleke

See Paris and die – is a poetic phrase coined to celebrate the level of development in Paris, the capital city of France.

The phrase implied that once you’ve seen a place of beauty and finesse, with rich cultural heritage and an advanced level of development, life has reached its peak, and there was nothing more worth seeing.

I visited the new site of Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopedic Centre yesterday evening. It is situated at the famous Abakiliki Street in Awka, at the very beginning of the street. It is an imposing edifice, and the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Amaechi Nwachukwu (PhD); an affable and amiable guy was on ground and showed me around the huge edifice.

After a 30 minutes tour around the facility, I decided that I was going to write this piece. My only constraint was that I knew doctors were not permitted to advertise their services. Of course, this is no advert, this is me recounting my experience.

As I settled down to write this, I remembered the phrase – See Paris and die, and I decided to caption the piece – See Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopedic Centre and live.

This would have been a better caption because from my experience as a journalist I have little knowledge of a lot of things (not everything), and I have always known that in the medical field, it is believed that the conducive nature of a hospital environment contributes a huge percentage to a patient’s healing, while the doctor’s expertise and the efficacy of drugs completes the rest.

Moving into the new hospital’s reception, the smell of freshness associated mainly with new buildings hit me. The neatness of the environment and the facilities installed thrilled me.

From reception to the expansive surgery room, the sophisticated medical equipment in the theatre, to the general patients wards, to the private wards – the installations were all top notch. If you knew the old site of the hospital at Ngozika Estate, and the level of medical equipment there, I will burst your bubble (as my children usually say during arguments) that nothing from the old site was transfered to the new princely Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopedic Centre.

The televisions in the reception, general and private wards, the hospital beds and all. Not even the expensive equipment were moved over, everything is brand new.

Dr Nwachukwu took time to show me around more places in the hospital. The third floor of the hospital is dedicated to kidney transplant, what I sensed to be an addition in his medical practice as he is more associated with bone related ailments. If you know Dr Amaechi Nwachukwu and the seriousness he attaches to his practice, you will know that nothing is impossible for him, not even the new area of kidney transplant. Since 2022 when he had spinal cord surgery on me, something my friends were thinking I would have been flown abroad for – I don’t doubt his capacity.

After thoroughly exploring the facility, we retired to a beautiful restaurant at the back of the hospital, a place meant to serve all manner of African delicacies; even though it is still being set up. More importantly, you do not need to be a patient of the hospital to patronize the restaurant. Coming straight from your office, you can enter the tastefully furnished restaurant to grab your launch and rush back to work.

My tour of the environment reminded me of my childhood. Back then, it was attractive to fall sick.

Our parents had eight of us, but by just feigning a little illness upon coming back from school, my mother can abandon the seven other children to give you the attention that will make you feel well.

Even our father who was known for his strictness softens up when he hears that you are sick. Perhaps, such periods are the only times we get petted and given lavish attention.

If you desired chicken and it wasn’t forthcoming, just fall sick, you will have more chicken than you can eat. If our parents had been denying you the opportunity of going to play with friends, just fall sick, and pretend you are recovering a little, and you are allowed to join other children to play as a way to hasten your healing.

These nostalgic memories were reminders I got from exploring the new Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopedic Centre. They just make you want to fall sick and get some pampering. I bet you, falling sick is desirable with a facility like this, but of course illness isn’t something to pray for.

So, I challenge you, see Paris and die, but see the new Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopedic Centre and live.

Kudos Dr Amaechi Nwachukwu. The world is run by men who harbour great visions and dare to push it to reality.