The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr Boss Mustapha Thursday in Abuja commissioned four new projects at the State House Clinic, including a biosafety Level 2 Molecular Laboratory, certified by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Other projects commissioned by the SGF are a medium-capacity incinerator donated by the Ecological Project Office, the Dental Wing Extension Building and a block of two-bedroom flats at the Staff Quarters of the Clinic.
The SGF described the projects as being amongst the front-burner initiatives of the Buhari administration towards the provision of excellent healthcare services to Nigerians.
He said the projects would collectively help to build a State House Clinic that is people-centred and technology-driven, delivering services and motivating the workforce towards addressing some of the healthcare service delivery challenges.
He commended the Permanent Secretary of State House, Tijjani Umar, for the completion and commissioning of the projects, and his tireless effort to raise service delivery standards, not only in the State House Clinic, but in the State House in general.
The SGF particularly praised the Permanent Secretary, who assumed duty in State House in 2020, for completing the Dental Wing Extension, which had been left uncompleted since 2013, and also embarking on other important projects despite the paucity of funds.
‘‘This building’s unique importance lies in the bold statement about the current administration’s commitment to excellence and ensuring that facilities in the State House Clinic are comparable to the best around the world,’’ he said.
On the molecular laboratory, the SGF said Nigeria has improved on its molecular diagnostic capacity, building over 200 laboratories across the country, compared with only two such facilities that existed in the pre-COVID-19 era.
On the ongoing construction of the Presidential Wing of the State House Clinic, designed to be a one-stop shop medicare services for the President, the Vice President and their families and other high-level dignitaries, the SGF assured that the project would be delivered on schedule before the end of the present administration.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary thanked the SGF for single-handedly facilitating the Molecular Laboratory Project by NCDC and ensuring the donation of medical incinerator to assist in the disposal of medical waste.
Underscoring the importance of medium capacity incinerator, the Permanent Secretary said ‘‘this donation was almost fortuitous as the existing low-capacity incinerators in the Clinic had seen better days and were continuously breaking down when they were required most.’’
He explained that the completed Dental Wing Extension building has made it possible for the Dental and Radiology Separtments as well as the Theatre under the Chief Matron to provide care to patients.
On the renovated two-bedroom flats, the Permanent Secretary recounted that last December a tragic fire incident in the Staff Quarters of the Clinic completely destroyed that block of two-number two-bedroom flats occupied by the medical staff.
He expressed gratitude to the array of professionals in the State House Clinic, saying their ‘‘training, qualification and experience have continued to place the Clinic as a destination of choice for patients, interns and various medical personnel seeking care and mentorship.’’
He also thanked the Medical Director, Munir Hussaini Yakassai, and the clinic staff for supporting his modest effort to turn around the facility for good, pledging that ‘‘there is still much more to do.’’
The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said the agency would continue to provide the needed support, including maintenance and consumables, for the effective running of the Molecular Laboratory, which uses cutting-edge technology to study infectious agents or toxins that are associated with human disease.
