Health
PLASCHEMA committed to improved healthcare infrastructure, says DG
The Director-General, Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency PLASCHEMA, Dr. Fabong Jemchang says the agency is committed to improving healthcare infrastructure in the 17 local government areas of the state.
Jemchang said this when he paid a visit to ECWA community clinic in Zagun, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State
It would recalled that the ECWA DCC Zagun had set up a committee to seek PLASCHEMA intervention to revive the moribund health facility since it is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that every plateau resident has equitable access to quality and affordable health care services.
While undertaking an assessment tour of the Ecwa community health center Zagun which was established in 1915 by missionaries and had gone moribund the Director General Dr Jemchang said the agency’s mandate was to carry out intervention where necessary to support health facilities.
According to him, the agency is saddled with the mandate of carrying out intervention where necessary to support health facilities and qualitative service delivery.
Jemchang assured the community that the agency would overhaul its delivery room, provide the clinic with furniture, generating set and solar panels for steady power supply.
He also said that the agency would provide a refrigerator for the preservation of vaccines, adding that the Agency would equip the community center with modern facilities for equal access to health services.
“The right to quality and affordable Healthcare Services has nothing to do with one’s ethnic extraction, Political affiliation or Religious beliefs. It is simply humanity in display, for God and the people”.
Jemchang added that the health centre served to bring democracy to hard to reach areas by ensuring that the clinic performed at its optimal.
Earlier, Chairman of the committee of the ECWA Church on the Hospital intervention Hon. Jacob Adikaba said the only option for the committee was to sought for PLASCHEMA intervention to revive its moribund clinic, saying the Clinic which has been the last hope of the various villages in Zagun with the population of over 27,000 need immediately intervention.
Also Speaking a Member of the Committee and professor of Family Medicine Jos UniversityTeaching Hospital JUTH Prof. Aboi Madaki appreciated and commended the timely intervention of PLASCHEMA to the community.
He said that ECWA Church had set up a committee to seek the agency’s intervention to revive the moribund health facility, saying the hospital which takes care of the health needs of over 20000 people was no longer effective appreciated the agency for timely intervention.
Madaki disclosed that the committee had to approach PLASCHEMA because they found that the agency was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that every Plateau residents had equitable access to quality and affordable health care services.
The Chairman ECWA DCC Zangun Rev. Joseph Ijah, and Supervisor/ Zonal Coordinator ECWA Health Services Mr Matawal Andrew amongst other officials appreciated PLASCHEMA intervention.
The Federal Government has facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Hospital and four private institutions to enhance the capacity of the healthcare workforce.
The participating institutions include Nile University, Cosmopolitan University, Yangongwo College of Nursing Sciences, and Concerned Medix Foundation.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr. Alaba Balogun on Friday.
Alaba revealed that during the signing ceremony, the Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, emphasized that the MoU aligns with the administration’s policy to expand training capacities.
Prof. Pate further highlighted that this initiative reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to increasing the training of health workers, addressing workforce gaps, and maintaining professional standards through the Regulatory and Professional Schools Division of the Hospital Services Department of the Ministry.
He stressed the government’s responsibility to tackle multiple challenges, including infrastructure, equipment, and human capital development, noting that Nigerian health workers are highly sought after due to their excellent training.
“Thankfully, because they are well-trained, we are very proud of them. If we weren’t training them, they wouldn’t have been attractive to other countries.
“Unfortunately, that has implications on the service delivery at home. So as a government, we took a progressive stance to say, look, let’s train more.
“So that even if those who are trained leave, some will stay. And even those who have gone away might come back to serve. And, that is the driving force behind this policy approval by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the Coordinating Minister pointed out.
Prof. Pate also underscored the crucial role of the private sector in achieving the government’s objectives, noting that Nigeria’s healthcare system operates as a mix of public and private institutions.
“So, the private sector has a space, and I am very pleased that you have joined hands with the National Hospital to be able to really see how the capabilities of the hospital can help you train more clinicians”, he said.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Prof. Raji Mahmud, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritizing improvements in the healthcare system.
He affirmed that the collaboration and signing of the MoU between the National Hospital and private institutions would significantly expand healthcare workforce training.
Prof. Mahmud further noted that three out of the four institutions are primarily training centers focused on medical and nursing education in partnership with the National Hospital, Abuja.
In a bid to enhance medical care for Nigerians, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed six new Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) for Federal Hospitals across the country.
Among those appointed is Dr. Ikrama Hassan, who will now serve as the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa State. Dr. Hassan, a seasoned consultant physician, previously served as the Medical Director of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital before its elevation to a teaching hospital.
The full list of newly appointed CMDs includes:
Prof. Olusegun Sylvester Ojo – Federal Teaching Hospital, Akure, Ondo State.
Prof. Yusuf Mohammed Abdullahi (Reappointed) – Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe.
Dr. Dauda Abubakar Katagum – Federal Teaching Hospital, Azare, Bauchi State.
Dr. Ikrama Hassan – Federal Teaching Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Dr. Ali Mohammed Ramat – National Orthopedic Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State.
Dr. Haruna Abubakar Shehu – Federal Medical Centre, Kafanchan, Kaduna State.
Each appointment is for a four-year term, effective from the date of assumption of duty.
President Tinubu congratulated the appointees, urging them to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and service delivery. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving medical infrastructure and ensuring quality healthcare access for all Nigerians.
Senator representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, Garba Maidoki has called for the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre to be situated in Zuru to cater for the health needs of the District and its environs.
The lawmaker in the 10th National Assembly made the call during a public hearing on the Bill to establish Federal Medical Centre in Zuru organized by the Senate Committee on Health.
In a memorandum presented at the hearing by the lawmaker, he explained that the aim is to provide tertiary healthcare facilities to the people of Zuru in Kebbi State in the North West Nigeria.
He further noted that the establishment of FMCs across the country was initiated by Decree No. 10 of 1985, with the aim of providing tertiary healthcare services.
According to him, the FMC Birnin Kebbi was established on June 6, 2000, and has since been upgraded to a University Teaching Hospital.
The lawmaker stated that the large population and the challenges faced in accessing healthcare services, necessitates the establishment of FMC in the state.
“In Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, the distance between Zuru Emirate and Birnin Kebbi is approximately 240 km, making it difficult for patients, especially children and pregnant women, to access secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities”, he lamented.
Senator Maidoki charged his colleagues and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to support the bill, saying healthcare is a fundamental privilege expected from any government.
The lawmaker who is the sponsor of the bill told journalists during a chat that the Federal Medical Center, when established will not only cater for the tertiary healthcare needs of Kebbi State, but will also serve the adjoining states like Niger and Zamfara.
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