A Ministerial Committee from Federal Ministry of Health has concluded an on-the spot assessment tour of projects and other special interventions in University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH)
Speaking to newsmen on the exercise, the leader of the team who is the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Alhaji Mamuda Mamman said he was satisfied with what he saw at the hospital.
“From what I have seen, I can testify that UMTH is really a centre of excellence.
“I can assure you if we maintain this trend medical tourism in Nigeria will be a thing of the past,” Mamman said.
Mamman said the committee was particularly impressed with the ongoing work at the hospital cancer centre which is the first in north east and one of the few with modern facilities in the country.
He said that government would continue to do it best in improving the health sector inline with President Muhammadu Buhari commitment to transformed the sector, adding that the hospital is also encouraged to reach out to corporate organisations and philanthropists to also contribute.
Also speaking, the Director Health Services of the Ministry, Dr Adebinpe Adebiyi, lauded the measures taking by the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital in training of personnel for the cancer centre.
“The issue of personnel is one thing that the CMD is taking very seriously and he has gone ahead to build capacity of personnel that would be manning the centre which is what we really need in this country,” Adebiyi said.
In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo said that installation of facilities in the completed cancer centre would commenced in the next two weeks and would last two months.
Ahijo lauded Federal government for investing a lot in the hospital, adding that his administration would not relent in ensuring that nobody in north east is referred outside the zone for treatment.
Areas visited in the hospital by the team include Physical Rehabilitation Centre, Trauma Centre, Radiology Centre, Burns Centre, Molecular Laboratory and COVID-19 Store.
