The National Hospital Abuja has denied referring popular actor, Zack Orji, to a private hospital for brain surgery.
The development is in reaction to reports insinuating that the 64-year-old actor who reportedly slumped on New Year’s eve was admitted to the facility’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but was later transferred to a private hospital for surgery.
The hospital, in a statement Thursday and signed by its spokesperson, Tayo Haastrup, explained that the actor was stabilised at the facility before he was taken away by his relatives while they were preparing for his surgery.
The statement reads in part: “To set the record straight, the actor, who was brought in on New Year’s Eve and admitted to the intensive care unit, was stabilised by National Hospital Abuja and moved to the ENT ward.
“Later in the day, he was transferred to the orthopaedic ward, where our surgeons began preparing him for surgery.
“However, the relatives of the patient signed a form “Leaving Against Medical Advice” on 1 January 2024. This thwarted all preparations for his surgery.
“Nevertheless, the Management of National Hospital Abuja wishes him a speedy recovery.”
Minister seeks support for actor
The news of Mr Orji’s brain surgery became public after the Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, visited him at the private hospital.
Mrs Musawa, in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Nneka Anibeze, revealed that the actor underwent brain surgery on 1 January 2024.
Expressing sympathy for the veteran actor’s family, Mrs Musawa described him as a national asset and expressed confidence in his recovery.
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She said: “God will heal him, and he will be well. We will do all we can to support him. We solicit the collective prayers of Nigerians because he is like a part of our families.
“We have watched him entertain us, and we see him as a national treasure. So the best we can do is to ensure that we support him to have the best treatment.
“We will reach out to other well-meaning Nigerians to support Zack Orji through prayers and other means available to ensure that he survives this ailment.
“This is not only about the ministry which I am representing. You know that Zack Orji has been in the industry for decades. This is a man who has given his time and effort to entertain Nigerians.”
The minister said Mr Orji was one of the individuals “who laid the foundation for Nollywood and the film industry in Nigeria but now he is sick and the least we can do as an administration is to give him all the necessary support through prayers and otherwise to ensure that we save his life.”
“This will also propel the administration to look at the welfare of artistes and others in the industry who have not only given their time and energy but people like Zack Orji who have become national treasures,” the minister added.
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