President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated the new State House Medical Centre VIP wing, worth N21 billion.
The new VIP wing of the Medical Centre is to cater for the President, the Vice President and their families and other dignitaries.
The inauguration ceremony took place on Friday at the premises of the newly built facility located within the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Among those who witnessed the inauguration were the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, Secretary to Government of the President, Boss Mustapha and the Chief of Staff to the President.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after a tour of the facility alongside her husband, the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, said the facility will eliminate the need for the President and his family to travel overseas for medical care.
The President’s wife came up with the idea of the VIP Wing six years ago after her husband’s protracted stay abroad for medical treatment.
Buhari said now that the facility is in place, Nigerian Presidents and their family members will no longer need to go abroad for treatment but may only fly in medical experts to assist their colleagues in the country.
Asked about her impression of the new medical centre, she said: “I’m quite happy, feeling fulfilled. Though we are leaving but all the same, we thank God the project has come to reality.
“I have opted for it six years now. I initiated this project idea six years ago when my husband spent three months abroad, consecutively, for 90 days. And it shouldn’t be because we have all the experts in Nigeria. We only need a good platform.
“The hospital that is supposed to serve the First Family is serving like 35,000 people which is quite much.
“That’s why I insisted we should have a VIP Wing within the proximity of the presidential villa. So, now there is no need for any leader to spend months and months abroad because of healthcare.”
The Permanent Secretary of the State House, Tijjani Umar, described the medial centre as “a one stop shop for the provision of medical services.”
He said it offers a range of medical facilities, adding that it will be a yardstick for the provision of quality healthcare to all Nigerians.
Umar thanked the First Lady for her unmatched advocacy and support and also thanked President Buhari for achieving the construction on schedule and on budget.
The N21 billion, state-of-the-facility inaugurated by President Buhari spans a total floor area of 2,485 square meters, on a suspended floor with a basement, the hospital, which serves as a specialized Intensive Care Centre, caters for the President, Vice President, their immediate families and VIPs.
The hospital, which incorporates state-of-the-art medical technology also houses several specialized departments, to be staffed by a team of medical professionals, featuring five consultation rooms dedicated to various specialties, including respiratory, cardiology, ophthalmology, ENT and general consultation.
Additionally, the hospital has a specialized X-ray suite equipped with a digital X-ray machine as well as a diagnostic suite encompassing MRI, CT scan, and endoscopy facilities.
Moreover, patients and visitors can enjoy access to a Healing Garden, designed to foster healing, relaxation and enhancement of overall well-being.
The completed Presidential/VIP Wing completed also showcases a Catheterization Laboratory (Cath lab), two operating rooms for regular procedures and special procedures such as organ transplants.
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