Fed Govt To Strengthen Healthcare, Education—Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery and expanding access to quality education, describing both sectors as critical investments in Nigeria’s human capital development.

He state this yesterday at the commissioning of the Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital and Yerwa Practising Primary and Junior Secondary School in Maiduguri, Borno State.

He said the responsibility of leaders was to establish institutions and create opportunities that would continue to benefit citizens long after they leave office.

According to the vice president, the legacy of leadership should ultimately be measured by the quality of institutions built, the achievements preserved and the positive impact made on the lives of the people.

“Our responsibility as leaders is to create institutions and opportunities that will continue to serve our people long after we have left office. We shall ultimately be judged by what we build, what we preserve and the positive difference we make in the lives of our citizens,” he said.

The vice president noted that healthcare remained one of the most important investments any government could make, stressing that a healthy population was better positioned to learn, work, innovate and contribute meaningfully to national development.

He also underscored the importance of education in building a productive, prosperous and sustainable society, adding that a healthier and better-educated population was essential to national growth.

Shettima assured that the federal government would continue to support initiatives aimed at improving healthcare delivery, consolidating existing gains, expanding access to medical services in underserved communities and creating more opportunities for Nigerians.

In his remarks, Bornos State Governor Babagana Zulum said the Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital would serve not only as a centre for advanced healthcare delivery but also as the clinical training arm of the hospital, providing medical students and other healthcare trainees with structured, practical and hands-on experience.

According to him, the facility will support the training of medical students, resident doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, radiographers, community health officers and other healthcare professionals.

He noted that the hospital would contribute significantly to building a competent healthcare workforce, improving professional standards and expanding access to specialised medical services.

The governor reiterated that his administration had consistently prioritised the health sector through investments in critical infrastructure, improved service delivery and efforts to strengthen the manpower capacity of healthcare institutions across the state.

He disclosed that over the past four years, the administration had sustained its commitment to the Abuja Declaration on healthcare financing, surpassing the 15 per cent benchmark for budgetary allocation to the health sector.

Zulum said the government had continued to invest in hospitals and primary healthcare centres across Borno State to bring essential medical services closer to residents, particularly those in underserved communities.

He listed local government areas benefiting from such investments to include Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Jere, Uba, Mafa, Biu, Bayo, Kaleri and Malam Fatori, among others.

The governor also disclosed that a 400-bed orthopaedic hospital was nearing completion, expressing optimism that the facility would further expand access to specialised medical care and ease pressure on existing healthcare institutions when operational.

“By the grace of God, Insha Allah, this facility will further expand access to specialised medical services and reduce the burden on existing healthcare institutions,” he said. End