The ongoing efforts towards ensuring improved well-being of Nigerians gained a boost as Federal Government through the office of the Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) formally handed over the 100-bed capacity Mother and Child Hospital to Kebbi and Kogi State Governments, respectively, amidst cheering ovation.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire who spoke during the commissioning ceremony held in Kebbi State, pledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s resolve to closely work with sub-national governments in delivering key interventions to fast-track the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals across the country.
The state-of-the-art 100-bed Mother and Child Hospital located in Tsamiya Village in Kebbi State was commissioned by Governor Nasri Idris of Kebbi State on the 25th January, 2024.
In the same vein, the 100-bed capacity Mother and Child Hospital which was handed over to Kogi State Government is located at Okene, and was commissioned by Governor Yahaya Bello who showered encomium on the Presidency for the laudable achievements recorded through the office of the Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals.
Each of the two facilities has Operating Theatre, Labour Room, Recovery Rooms, Children Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Private and General Wards, Scanning Room, Consultation Rooms, and Laboratory, among others.
Some of the State of the art facilities installed are: Ultra-Scan Machine, Vacuum Extractor Delivery Set, and an Emergency Cart with full complements.
According to Princess Orelope-Adefulire who was a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, the MCC is directly linked to the achievement of SDG-3 on ‘Quality Health and Well-being for all’, as well as other cross-cutting SDGs.
While noting that the hospital was built and equipped to international standards, she disclosed that the hospital commissioned in Kebbi State is one of over 40 units of 100-Bed Mother and Child Hospitals constructed and fully equipped across the country by OSSAP-SDGs.
Orelope-Adefulire who extolled the leadership virtues of Mr. President said: “Let me, from the outset, appreciate President Tinubu for his sterling leadership and commitment to working closely with sub-national governments to deliver key interventions to fast-track the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria.
“In the same vein, I would like to most sincerely thank Governor Nasri Idris for his unwavering commitment to the socio-economic transformation of Nigeria and our collective desire to achieve the SDGs in Nigeria.
“Based on President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we are committed to prioritising key interventions with multiplier effects on multidimensional poverty, such as basic healthcare, vocational skills development, and education provisioning.”
According to her, with the COVID-19 pandemic challenging our healthcare system, strategic interventions, such as the Mother and Child Centre, have become imperative.
“Indeed, the primary and secondary effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse decades of human development gains and undermine the achievement of the SDGs unless immediate action is taken and sustained,” Princess Orelope-Adefulire noted.
In his remarks, Governor Nasri Idris showered encomium on Orelope-Adefulire for delivering the laudable project in Kebbi State and President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to improving the health sector.
He expressed optimism that the project would help in reducing child and maternal mortality as well as improving maternal health within the state and, by extension, the neighbouring Benin Republic.
He added that the State Government would build Staff Quarters to support the services at the hospital and help mitigate the accommodation challenges that may be encountered by the Doctors and Nurses who will be engaged in the hospital.