Sokoto To Become Medical Hub In Northern Nigeria - Tambuwal

 

Gov. Tambuwal Vows To Make Sokoto Medical Hub In Northern Nigeria,

.... Says Health Facility On Ground To Discourage Citizens From Seeking Medical Help Abroad. 

Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has disclosed that his major aim as a governor is to turn the state into a medical hub in the Northern part of the country.

The governor stated this while speaking with journalists in the state on some of the achievements recorded by his administration in the state.

He said with the facilities put on the ground in the health sector across the state, the state will discourage citizens especially from the Northern part of the country from seeking medical assistance from foreign countries.

According to the governor, “we are making sure that we make this state a medical hub whereby we can take advantage of the medical tourism. A lot of Nigerians have been flying out for medical attention to either Dubai, India, Egypt and even the Niger Republic here. So we want to make Sokoto a new medical hub where every Nigerian can come in and be attended to.

“By that way, we are arresting the capital flight. The pressure we have on forex will reduce. It is a comprehensive scheme that will not only benefit the people of Sokoto State but subsequently the entire country. We have our eyes on the ball and we plan to deliver on these projects God willing before the exit of this administration.

“Recalled that when the president of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) came about a month ago, I am sure you were all living witnesses when he said states should begin to have a referral centre in all the senatorial district and I told him his thinking is what we are doing in Sokoto State.

“Outside the fact that we established numerous numbers of primary health centres in the state, we have completed a number of general hospitals that we inherited. We have also gone beyond a situation where we have only one general hospital in a local government headquarters. We are doing more general hospitals in locations where we have the population in addition to the one in local government headquarters.

“We are making sure that we take the service of general hospitals closer to the people beyond the local government headquarters. Also, we have already given out contracts for three premier hospitals with each of them having a 150 bed capacity in each of the Senatorial districts. The intention is that they should have some link in terms of technology and others with the Sokoto State University Teaching Hospital that we are also building with 1200 bed capacity.”