Tinubu commissions major health projects across Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu on Friday commissioned new and upgraded health facilities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones in what the federal government described as the largest single-day inauguration of federal health investments in the country’s history.

The commissioning formed part of activities marking the third anniversary of the Tinubu administration.

Among the projects inaugurated was the Bola Tinubu Specialist Complex at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja. The two-storey facility is designed for integrated specialist and VIP healthcare services and contains consulting rooms, theatre suites, ophthalmology and ENT departments, a laboratory, pharmacy, VIP wards, general wards, and a private clinic.

At the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare headquarters in Abuja, the President also launched the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) Emergency Response Fleet.

The fleet includes 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances, and 79 emergency ambulances for federal tertiary hospitals nationwide. Additional equipment unveiled included 45 laptops, 20 printers, and 320 mobile phones to support emergency response coordination.

According to the Presidency, the fleet will operate under the SAVEMAMA programme to improve emergency obstetric and newborn care in rural, riverine, and hard-to-reach communities.

In Lagos, President Tinubu flagged off another fleet of Compressed Natural Gas-powered ambulances for the country’s 73 federal tertiary health institutions. The initiative, implemented under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, is expected to reduce fuel costs, lower emissions, and strengthen referral systems between hospitals.

The President also commissioned health projects in several states across the country.

In the North-West, three upgraded Polio Emergency Operations Centres were inaugurated in Kano, Katsina, and Sokoto states to improve immunisation coordination, disease surveillance, and outbreak response.

In Kano State, the newly constructed Gadon Kaya Primary Health Centre in Gwale Local Government Area was commissioned under the World Bank-supported Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project.

Similarly, the Aboh Primary Health Centre in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State was inaugurated under the same programme.

Other projects commissioned include a new laboratory complex at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital in Akwa Ibom State, a new administrative complex at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu State, and a Pharmacy Quality Control Laboratory at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria.

In Borno State, the President inaugurated a 50-bed Mental Health and Drug Rehabilitation Centre at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital to support patients dealing with psychological and drug-related conditions.

The President also commissioned the Lagos Immunisation Supply Chain Hub at the Federal Medical Stores in Oshodi. The facility, developed under the IMPACT Project, is expected to serve the South-West and South-South zones.

Speaking during the virtual commissioning ceremony, Tinubu described the projects as part of the most ambitious healthcare infrastructure renewal programme in recent history.

“We are determined to give Nigerians the kind of care that, for too long, only those who could travel abroad enjoyed,” the President said.

He commended the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NEMSAS, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the World Bank, the Gates Foundation, eHealth Africa, state governments, and federal teaching hospitals for supporting the projects.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare disclosed that nearly 3,000 primary healthcare centres have been revitalised nationwide under the IMPACT programme in the past two years. It added that 27 Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care sites, as well as thousands of health facilities across the six geopolitical zones, have also been upgraded.