Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the federal government’s health sector reforms have attracted over $4.8 billion in potential investments.
According to him, the investments are part of the commitment of the present administration to revitalise Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Speaking at the commissioning and grand opening of Sahad Hospitals in Abuja yesterday, Shettima in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nwocha, outlined a comprehensive strategy to address longstanding challenges and propel Nigeria’s healthcare system into the future.
“Our health sector calls upon us all to unite. The promise of this day is one we cannot overlook. It is through such collaboration and shared dedication that we can guarantee every Nigerian receives the care and support they deserve,” he said.
He said the health sector reforms under the Tinubu administration are anchored on a robust roadmap designed to tackle persistent issues that have plagued the system for decades.
“This administration’s ambitious health sector reforms, which have already attracted over $4.8 billion in potential investments, signal a strong commitment to revitalising our healthcare system.
“These reforms are anchored on a comprehensive roadmap designed to address longstanding challenges, and central to this are four key pillars: transforming healthcare governance, improving population health outcomes, unlocking the healthcare value chain, and strengthening health security,” he said.
Detailing the government’s strategy, Shettima highlighted initiatives launched by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate saying, “We have set out to achieve this by boosting domestic production of essential medical supplies and drugs, and by strengthening primary healthcare through the doubling of fully functional centres across the nation.”
He said the National Economic Council (NEC), which he chairs, had prioritised investments in developing Nigeria’s human capital, with health and nutrition being key thematic areas.
The vice president described the chairman/founder of Sahad Group of Companies, Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa, as a good and trustworthy businessman, even as he recounted how he intervened when Sahad Stores Ltd was locked up by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Deputy Senate President and chairman of the occasion, Senator Barau Jibrin, who was represented at the event by Senator Garba Musa Maidoki, said words were not enough to thank the chairman of the hospital, Alhaji Mijinyawa, for his philanthropy, good quality services to the less privileged people, assuring that Sahad Hospitals will not be an exception.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, thanked the chairman of the hospital, saying the hospital does not only mark a new chapter of healthcare in Nigeria but a celebration of a vision that exemplifies what could be achieved when public-spirited individuals invest in the health of their fellow citizens.
Earlier in his remarks, the Vice Chairman of Sahad Hospital, Dr. Shamsuddeen Aliyu, described the hospital as a state-of-the-art facility built to showcase their unwavering commitment to providing quality healthcare and upholding the well-being of those it serves.