By NAN

The Federal Government of Nigeria, has commended the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) Gwagwalada for expanding health infrastructures, mobilising resources and global partnerships to build cardiovascular centre to expand the availability of health care services in the country.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed Pate, made the commendation during the commissioning of Mental Health building, Cardiovascular Research Centre and Senator Joshua Dariye medical Out Patient Clinic Block.

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

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

“Here 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 research center.

“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.

The minister said that the President signed an executive order to unlock the healthcare value chain which would allow us to produce some of the things that we need, so that Nigerians could be treated here 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.

He said the present administration was committed to improving the health sector by expanding primary health care services in the country and also expanding access to higher levels of services through hospitals and rebuilding human resources.

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

The Chief Medical Director, UATH, Prof. Bissallah Ekele, while thanking the Minister for the visit, said the hospital was in need of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine and more medical structures in the hospital. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)