Posted by From Agaju Madugba in Kaduna on
President Olusegun Obasanjo has expr-essed the hope that with the massive investments in the nationís health sector, Nigerians would not have the need for travelling overseas for medical treatment.
President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed the hope that with the massive investments in the nationís health sector, Nigerians would not have the need for travelling overseas for medical treatment.
The President voiced his hope yesterday at the commissioning of the refurbished ultra-modern Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (AB-UTH), located at Shika, near Zaria, Kaduna state.
Contract for the construction of the ABUTH was initially awarded in 1976†when Obasanjo was military Head of State, with completion slated for 1979.
According to the President, "with the substantial amount of money spent to make the hospital a state-of-the-art one, with modern technology and equipment, it is my hope that Nigerians will not need to go abroad for medical treatment now that we have the equipment to make the available highly skilled medical/health staff attend to our people who require such services that they normally seek abroad."
Obasanjo assured of Federal Governmentís commitment to providing "our people with modern health infrastructure which is both accessible and affordable."
He noted that in spite of the numerous challenges and problems inherited by his administration in 1999, "the good news is that we are making steady and assured progress."
He disclosed that the "neglect, decay, dislocation and confusion of the past are being replaced with hope, opportunities, confidence and motivated leadership in all spheres of the society."
He pointed out that the successes recorded by his administration in "virtually every sector are the result of renewed determination to terminate business as usual and to refocus, rejuvenate and reposition Nigeria for peace, security, stability, growth, development and democracy."
The President regretted the parlous state of the healthcare sector on assumption of office in 1999. He said: "In the health sector, where we met totally dilapidated infrastructure, gross incompetence, demoralised staff, and policy confusion, we have steadily addressed these problems. I am impressed with the status of our healthcare infrastructure especially the work on HIV/AIDS, polio, malaria, staff training, infrastructure rehabilitation, the new National Health Insurance Scheme and now, the rehabilitated and modernised teaching hospitals."
He, however, warned that "It is imperative that a maintenance culture be imbibed by all, to ensure that the purpose of embarking on this beautiful project is not in vain."
The ABUTH is among seven teaching hospitals that the Federal Government has earmarked to upgrade at a total cost of about N50 billion. The others are located in Ibadan, Port-Harcourt Maiduguri, Lagos, Nsukka, Jos and Ilorin.