By Suleiman Adamu, Sokoto
THE Sokoto state multi-billion ultra modern advanced medical diagnostic centre has been completed and billed for commissioning by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state.
Okowa, during the commissioning will be assisted by the host , Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, other important dignitaries well officials of the Nigeria Medical Association(NMA).
The centre, a state of the art edifice with modern diagnostic equipments, is among the numerous giant projects initiated and completed by the Tambuwal administration to further the course of service delivery to people of the state.
Also, governor Okowa, who himself, is a medical doctor, will be visiting the seat of the caliphate to take part in a meeting of the NMA holding in the state.
Disclosing the development in statement on Monday , the State Commissioner for Health , Dr Mohammad Ali Inname said the facility is world-class and a milestone in the history of medical diagnosis in Nigeria.
According to him, the facility has a Radiology Unit, Laboratory Unit, Out-patient Clinics, Dental Unit, and ENT Unit. It will offer a variety of services, including Medical Investigations, Radiological Investigations, and Laboratory Investigations.
It also has provision for ECG, Stress ECG, Echocardiography, and Vascular Doppler, Gastrology, Endoscopy, Neurology, and EEG in addition to
extensive capacity for MRI, CT scan, Fluoroscopy, Digital X-ray, Mammography, Chemical Pathology, Histopathology, Microbiology, and Hematology.
Inname also disclosed that already, key personnel including medical consultants, medical officers, laboratory scientists/technicians, nurses and other personnel required for the smooth running of the centre were being hired.
” For efficiency, the centre will be managed by Health field Medical Services Ltd, through a public-private partnership model.
” The project was executed for approximately N3.2billion, with about N824million spent on construction and N2.4billion expended on equipping the centre. Katuru & Partners Limited handled construction while Minjiriya Medical Services Limited executed the supply and installation of diagnostic equipment”, explained the Commissioner.
While giving further details on the world class completed diagnostic centre, the Commissioner who is also the State Chairman on Covid-19 Team said the centre will provide high-quality cutting edge medical diagnostics services for the people of Sokoto, other Nigerians and nationals of neighbouring countries.
“A staggering number of Nigerians seek healthcare services abroad, it has been reported that 5,000 Nigerians travel overseas for medical treatment monthly, with an estimated bill of over $1 billion annually. This has been as a result of non-availability of advanced healthcare technology in our health facilities,” Dr Inname said.
“There are 860 public and private health facilities in Sokoto State. For this number of health facilities to provide effective services for a population of over 5 million in the state, they must adopt advanced technologies that are used globally.
“Because of this consideration, the Sokoto State Government under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal designed, constructed and equipped this new Advanced Medical Diagnostics Centre to provide high-quality cutting edge medical diagnostics services comparable to any other place in the world.
“The overall objective here is to provide healthcare services for our people and make Sokoto a hub for medical tourism, so the services provided by the centre are designed in such a way that they are affordable to the people.”
