Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority Advanced Medical Services Limited (MedServe) has flagged-off the first phase of its health care expansion programme to establish 23 diagnostic centres, three additional oncology centres and seven catheterisation laboratories across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of the MedServe healthcare expansion project, which was held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi State, was attended by the managing director and chief executive officer NSIA, Aminu Umar-Sadiq and MD MedServe, Dr Tolulope Adewole alongside the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun; and the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Prof Ali Muhammed Pate as well as other senior government officials.
The first phase of the healthcare expansion project aims to establish diagnostics and oncology centres in 10 locations, including Bauchi, Enugu, Kaduna, Sokoto, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Kwara, Plateau and Yobe states respectively.
The expansion project will leverage MedServe’s experience gained from successfully operating three demonstration projects, namely: NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC), NSIA-Kano Diagnostic Centre (NKDC), NSIA-Umuahia Diagnostic Centre ( NUDC) located within the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia respectively.
The NSIA MD described the groundbreaking as the culmination of five years of resilience and hard work, underpinned by a vision to birth what was once impossible. He said the development is a significant move to enhance healthcare outcomes in Nigeria.
“Over the ensuing five years, we have perfected the business model regarding governance structure, pricing, recruitment and training of key personnel, and the patient experience.
“It is against this backdrop that MedServe is expanding from one to three oncology centres and 2 to 10 diagnostic centres. We have anchored this in Bauchi State, which will be one of the 10 centres in phase one of the healthcare expansion project.
“We commit to commissioning and operationalizing these centres within 12 to 15 months,” Umar-Sadiq said.
Aside from the envisaged financial returns to MedServe, the healthcare expansion programme will deliver substantial socio-economic impact within Nigeria through expanded access to improved screening and diagnostics for communicable and non-communicable diseases, reduced cancer-related mortality rates and considerable employment opportunities for key personnel within the oncology and diagnostics value chain in Nigeria.
The managing director of MedServe, Dr Tolulope Adewole, also re-affirmed MedServe’s commitment to optimize oncology care by creating three additional oncology centres, strategic collaboration with key stakeholders to deepen capacity and partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers to improve patient outcomes.
Health minister Pate lauded NSIA’s vision for the healthcare sector and stated that the projects will be completed within 12 to 15 months, setting a new precedent for healthcare infrastructure investments in Nigeria. “About 12 months from now, the centres will be ready to deliver qualitative service across Nigeria. This is the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria,” Pate said.
Also commenting at the groundbreaking ceremony, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, said, “I have been impressed by the pace with which Medserve has mobilized original equipment manufacturers, service providers, technical partners and other stakeholders to actualise the healthcare expansion programme.”
MedServe remains dedicated to empowering Nigerians by improving healthcare access through strategic medical infrastructure investments and human capital development.
