Prior to the introduction of modern medicine, healthcare in Amaigbo, as in the rest Igboland was provided by traditional medicine men, using roots and herbs with methods passed down in families from one generation to the other. Orthodox medicine was introduced to Amaigbo by the Catholic Church. People would be gathered after church services and treatments provided for various ailments. For the Church, this had an obvious advantage, one of winning over converts to Christianity and also the confidence of the community.
With amazing foresight, the people of Amaigbo, under the auspices of the Amaigbo National Assembly decided to build a hospital in 1941. After several consultations, they decided to approach the Catholic Church for support. Reports have it that the community levied themselves three shillings per person to raise £1,300 with which they initially approached the Church. Recognising the seriousness of the community, the Catholic Church agree to support the project on the condition that they will be responsible for executing the building project and managing the hospital on behalf of the Amaigbo Community.
After protracted negotiations about where the hospital could be located, land acquisition, defining the acreages needed, Amaigbo people identified and donated to the project some of 44 acres of prime land on the banks of the Nwangele River, in Ubahu, Amaigbo. The land was leased to the Catholic Mission at a nominal cost of 1 pound per month.
