The coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Muhammed Pate, has inaugurated some medical structures in the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) for affordability of healthcare services.

Mr Pate, at the inauguration on Monday in Gwagwalada, said that the infrastructures reflected President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and unwavering determination to bridge the gap in the health sector.

Some of the structures inaugurated were the mental health building, Cardiovascular Research Centre and Sen, Joshua Dariye medical OutPatient Clinic Block.

According to him, the structures will provide integrated care services and acute care for both inpatient and outpatient, in line with international best practices in the health sector.

“The health infrastructures in our teaching hospitals and the medical equipment provide services to Nigerians to expand the affordability of medical services in anticipation of the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases.

“We are unveiling the Cardiovascular Research Centre, mental health building and the Medical Outpatient Block as we have increasing cases of hypertension, diabetes and cancer in Nigeria and the health sector has to deal with it.

“I am very pleased with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada for expanding the infrastructure, mobilising human resources and global partnership to build a research centre.

“We are making progress, we are expanding the Primary Healthcare, expanding higher level services through our hospitals, rebuilding our human resources, retraining about 120,000 frontline health workers all over Nigeria,” he said.

Mr Pate said that the president signed an executive order to unlock the healthcare value chain, which would allow us to produce some of the things needed, to enable Nigerians get treated in the country.

“We are very optimistic that the President’s mission on expanding health insurance coverage in the next few years will add to the momentum that we have built in the country,” he said.

Mr Pate said the present administration was committed to improve the health sector by expanding primary health care services in the country.

This, he said, would expand access to higher levels of services through hospitals and rebuilding human resources.

On the issue of cholera outbreak in the country, Mr Pate called on all Nigerians to maintain basic hygiene to help prevent water and food diseases.

The chief medical director, UATH, Prof. Bissallah Ekele, said the hospital was in need of a medical imaging report (MIR) machine and renovation of the male medical ward. 

(NAN)