He invited the Irish Holy Rosary Sisters to run the hospital. The Holy Rosary Sisters Congregation was founded by Bishop Shanahan in 1924.
Holy Rosary Hospital started as a 200 bedded hospital with only a male and female ward. By 1938, the hospital had grown to the status of a general hospital with departments in medicine, general surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology. An efficient radiology unit and comprehensive laboratory department had also been built. The hospital had extensive catchment areas initially including Port Harcourt, Umuahia, Aba and Enugu, all in the Eastern part of Nigeria. This hospital had been recognized both in Nigeria and beyond as one of the institutions that provides high level of patients’ care, both physically and spiritually. It has three training schools:
1. General Nursing Training School established in 1942.
2. School of Midwifery, established in 1956; and
3. School of Medical Laboratory Assistant Technology, established in 1973.
The Schools of Nursing and Midwifery gained their recognition in 1954 and 1965 respectively. In 1959, the hospital was recognized for the pre-registration training of doctors in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology.
In Mid 1970s, it got the status of a Teaching Hospital – approved for Post Graduate Training of Doctors in General Medicine and Houseman-ship in Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Gynaecology.
The hospital, which started with 200 beds later increased to 320 beds in 1967. It has right from its foundation, served as a referral center next to the University Teaching Hospitals.
The unfortunate Nigerian – Biafran Civil War (1967 – 1970) retarded the growth of the hospital. At the end of the war, the hospital infrastructure was destroyed. Hospital equipment was lost, and worse still, dedicated pioneers expatriate staff of the hospital had to leave the country. Post war efforts at revamping the hospital have not been hugely successful due to the prevailing country’s economic situation. However, the hospital is doing her best in rendering holistic health care services to her patients/clients and has improved considerably.
Presently, the hospital is being run by the able hands of Rev. Fr. Dr. Eunan Asomugha and enjoys moral, economic, financial and spiritual support from His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony J. V. Obinna, who became the Archbishop and third Bishop of the Owerri Archdiocese 1993.
