The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate has called on private and government sectors to collaborate more for the speedy and efficient development of Nigeria’s health sector.
Professor Pate made the call during the commissioning of various projects and first anniversary of the commissioning of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, NAUTH, permanent site at Akamili Nnewi, in Anambra State, southeast Nigeria.
Professor Pate while reassuring the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government towards providing Nigerians with qualitative healthcare services irrespective of tribe, location or social status, encouraged well-to-do citizens and private organizations to always contribute their quota to bring the needed transformation in the country’s health sector for the benefit of all, especially the downtrodden who encounter difficulties in accessing quality healthcare.
The minister said the hospital represents a part of the FG’s efforts at ensuring quality health delivery to the people.
Pate said, “The health sector is undergoing a transformation under the able leadership of President Bola Tinubu-led administration, who is focused on improving the healthcare delivery of every Nigerian.
“Such transformation is evident in the area of infrastructure, state-of-art equipment, and quality health services to save lives and prevent diseases. This hospital represents part of the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure we deliver on our mandate. We also recognise efforts of the private sector in investing in the health sector.
“We assure the hospital community and indeed the government and good people of the state of continued support to improving the health of the citizens.”
The health minister encouraged health workers at the NAUTH and other health facilities to be more dedicated to their duties and to ensure quality healthcare delivery to the people, and urged the state government to pay attention to regulating the activities of the health workers to fish-out quacks and others who may be taking advantage of patients of low social status in the system.
He appreciated the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Joseph Ugboaja, and his team for the feat, just as he acknowledged efforts of private sector investments in the health sector.
Pate equally commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo and wealthy individuals in the state for various interventions in the health sector, saying that such gesture should be emulated by other governors and individuals across the country, for improved healthcare services for the citizenry, as according to him health is wealth and good health of the people should be one of the major priorities of every government.
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo represented by his Deputy, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim while maintaining that provision of quality healthcare services for the people remains top on the agenda of his administration, intimated the minister with the various achievements of the government in the health sector, including employment of about three thousand health workers, upgrading of General and Primary Health Centres across the state, among others.
The Governor commended the federal government on its interventions at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital and appealed for more of such gesture in the hospital and other sectors of the state economy.
Earlier, the Chief Medical Director, CMD of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Professor Joseph Ugboaja, appreciated the federal government through the Minister’s office for coming to the aid of the hospital and helping the management towards the actualization of its dreams of making the teaching hospital one of the three best hospitals in the country, calling on the federal government to also address some of the pressing needs of the hospital, including more infrastructure and employment of more health workers.
According to Ugboaja, “Our objective for infrastructural development is to create a world-class healthcare facility that sets the standard for excellence in patient care, medical education and research.”
The CMD narrated that the hospital’s relocation to the permanent site was a calculated effort and strong determination to actualise the mission and vision of moving the health facility from analogue to digital operations.
On his part, Mr Peter Nwosu, a one time Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Anambra State on Petroleum, who donated vehicle to the hospital during the event said, “Provision of good healthcare services is not the responsibility of the government alone.”
He commended President Tinubu and Governor Soludo for their good works in health and other sectors.
The event featured award presentation, commissioning of structures named after some illustrious sons and daughters of the state who in one way or the other contributed to the actualization of the NAUTH permanent site dream, including Sir Emeka Offor, Traditional Ruler of Nnewi, Igwe Kenneth Orizu, Chief Cletus Ibeto, among others.
