Niger Remodels 100-Year-Old Hospital, Distributes N2.5bn Drugs

In commemoration of the oldest hospital in Niger State, the state government has inaugurated remodelled facilities at the General Hospital, Minna, the state capital and distributed drugs worth N2.5 billion to its 25 local government areas.

LEADERSHIP findings revealed that the hospital was established in 1926 as railway medical centre, which makes it to be in existence for 100 years and as the state’s oldest health centre.

Records from the hospital showed that the medical centre was transformed into a state government-owned hospital to provide primary and secondary specialised healthcare services while still maintaining some of the old structures that prompted the immediate past administration to start the remodelling which was completed recently by the administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.

The wife of the governor, Hajiya Fatima Bago, who inaugurated the new facilities, described the project as a significant milestone.She said the facilities would make quality health care delivery accessible to thousands of the people timely and in a dignified environment.

Hajiya Bago identified the project as a celebration of hope, compassion and purposeful leadership, adding that, every investment in healthcare is ultimately an investment in human life, family wellbeing and for the future of the society.

Also, the commissioner for Health, Dr Murtala Bagana, said the remodelling of some of the facilities was the first phase of others that would lead to the total transformation of the General Hospital.

He disclosed that, the target is for a comprehensive transformation of the hospital from its present 368 bedded capacity to 500 bedded referral hospital that will make it the largest in North Central and also pave way for the commencement of residency programme and a temporal site for a medical school.

He also added that, subsequent phases will have operating theatre, modern accident and emergency complex, expanded outpatient services, renewable energy and waste management systems, state of the art diagnostic facilities and staff accomodations .

The commissioner also revealed that, farmer governor Bago has procured 2000 high quality hospital beds to be distributed across the 22 general hospitals in the state with 40 wheel chairs while the state is in partnership with Malaria consortium where malaria medicines and essential commodities valued at over N2.5 billion will be distributed across the 25 LGAs.