The National Hospital Abuja (NHA) 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 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.”

The news of Orji’s brain surgery became public after the Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, visited him at the private hospital.

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, Musawa described him as a national asset and expressed confidence in his recovery.

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.”