Stakeholders in the health sector have expressed support for establishing special health institutions in the northwestern region of Nigeria.
They indicated this at the public hearing on four bills organised by the House of Representatives committee on speciality healthcare in Abuja on Wednesday.
These are bills seeking the establishment of the National Obstetrics Fistula Centre, Babbar-Ruga, Katsina state; the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Shinkafi, Zamfara state; the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Yauri, Kebbi state; and the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Wamako, Sokoto state.
In his remarks, the minister of state for Health, Dr Isiaq Adekunle, said the ministry supported the establishment of health institutions.
He said, “There should be a compelling need to re-establish national public hospitals in Nigeria. The federal government has mapped out the patterns for the distribution of national public hospitals and trauma centres in the country. He said this is to address all specialised public cases in the country.
Representatives of Vistula non-governmental organisations also expressed support for specialised hospitals that cater to women.
Speaking on their behalf, the Executive Director of Sustainable Health, Dr Peters Ogumaye, said that the hospitals should be named appropriately to indicate that they are meant for women.
The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Speciality Healthcare, Hon. Alex Egbona, expressed the legislature’s commitment to providing the necessary legislative frameworks for improved healthcare delivery in the country.
He said the four bills generally seek to provide legislative and legal frameworks for establishing the listed health institutions to facilitate treatment, rehabilitation, reintegration, research, and training on obstetric fistula and establishing orthopaedic hospitals in those parts of the country.
