By Nudoiba Ojen
President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate upgrade of key health infrastructures and equipment across the six geo-political zones.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, says that the upgrade is in line with Tinubu’s administration’s vision of overhauling the health and social welfare sector for enhanced service delivery to all Nigerians.
Ngelale said in a statement on Friday that, “Upgrading health infrastructure and equipment is a top priority of President Tinubu’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
“To advance this landmark effort, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) will carry out the comprehensive upgradation of cancer-treatment infrastructure and other critical developments in six tertiary hospitals across several geopolitical zones$.
These, Ngelale, said, would be in addition to the full renovation and expansion of prior investments to improve broad-based access to high-quality healthcare in the six geo-political zones of the federation.
He said that the six teaching hospitals across geo-political zones have been marked for the establishment of oncology and nuclear medicine centres per facility as part of President Tinubu’s bid to ensure that world class cancer diagnosis and care is accessible across the country.
The benefitting tertiary institutions are: University of Benin Teaching Hospital; Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital; University of Nigeria (Nsukka) Teaching Hospital; Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina; University of Jos Teaching Hospital; and Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
He added that 10 critical health care service expansion projects across the fields of radiology, clinical pathology, medical and radiation oncology, and cardiac catheterization would be carried out in 10 hospitals across all geo-political zones:
They are:
(1) North-West: Reference Hospital, Kaduna — (Radiology, clinical pathology, medical and radiation oncology)
(2) South-East: Medical Diagnostic Centre Complex, Enugu — (Radiology, clinical pathology, medical & radiation oncology)
(3) North-West: Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto — (Diagnostic and intervention radiology, clinical pathology, and cardiac catheterization)
(4) South-West: University College Hospital, Ibadan — (Diagnostic and intervention radiology, clinical pathology, and cardiac catheterization)
(5) South-South: University of Uyo Teaching Hospital — (Radiology and clinical pathology)
(6) North-East: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi — (Radiology and clinical pathology)
(7) South-South: Federal Medical Centre, Asaba — (Radiology and clinical pathology)
(8) North-Central: Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre Complex, Ilorin — (Radiology and clinical pathology)
(9) North-Central: Jos University Teaching Hospital — (Radiology and clinical pathology)
(10) North-East: Federal Medical Centre, Nguru — (Radiology and clinical pathology).
Ngelale said that the critical projects, set to be delivered within 12-18 months, would improve screening and diagnostics for communicable and non-communicable diseases; reduce mortality rates and improve outcomes for non-communicable diseases; create considerable employment opportunities for clinical, administrative, and managerial personnel across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
