Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), inaugurated four new State House Clinic projects on Thursday in Abuja, including a biosafety Level 2 Molecular Laboratory that has received certification from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
A medium-capacity incinerator donated by the Ecological Project Office, the SGF Office, the Dental Wing Extension Building, and a block of two-bedroom apartments in the Staff Quarters of the Clinic are further projects that the SGF has commissioned.
In his remarks at the event, Mustapha listed the projects as some of the Buhari Administration’s top priorities for ensuring that Nigerians have access to high-quality healthcare services.
In order to deliver services and inspire the workforce to address some of the challenges associated with healthcare service delivery, he claimed that the projects would work together to create a State House Clinic that is people-centered and technology-driven.
He commended Tijjani Umar, the State House’s Permanent Secretary, for seeing the projects through to completion and commissioning as well as for his tireless efforts to improve service delivery standards throughout the State House, not just at the Clinic.
The SGF commended the Permanent Secretary in particular for finishing the Dental Wing Extension, which had been left unfinished since 2013, and for starting other significant projects despite the lack of funding. The Permanent Secretary began serving in State House in 2020.
“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.
Regarding the molecular laboratory, Mustapha pointed out that Nigeria has increased its capacity for molecular diagnostics by constructing over 200 laboratories throughout the nation, as opposed to the two such facilities that existed prior to COVID-19.
Mustapha gave the assurance that the project would be completed on schedule before the end of this administration in relation to the Presidential Wing of the State House Clinic, which is being built to serve as a one-stop shop for Medicare services for the President, the Vice President, and their families as well as other high-level dignitaries.
The Molecular Laboratory Project by NCDC and the donation of a medical incinerator that is suitable for its intended use to help with the disposal of medical waste were made possible solely thanks to the SGF, for which the Permanent Secretary, State House, thanked the SGF.
Umar stated: “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 at the most critical times,” underscoring the significance of the medium capacity incinerator.
He explained that the fully operational Dental and Radiology departments, as well as the Theatre under the Chief Matron, are now able to fully deploy and provide patient care as a result of the Dental Wing Extension building’s completion.
The Permanent Secretary spoke about the repaired 2-bedroom apartments, whose keys the SGF gave to two members of the medical staff, recalling how last December a horrific fire occurrence in the Staff Quarters of the Clinic destroyed that block of 2nos 2-bedroom apartments entirely.
Umar took advantage of the opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to the State House Clinic’s diverse staff, saying that 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.”
Assuring that “there is still much more to do,” he also expressed gratitude to the clinic’s personnel and Medical Director Munir Hussaini Yakassai for their support of his modest endeavour to turn the facility around for good.
The NCDC’s Director-General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, promised that the organisation would continue to give the Molecular Laboratory, which employs cutting-edge technology to investigate infectious agents or toxins linked to human disease, the support it needs, including upkeep and consumables.
The State House Clinic’s newly expanded and rebuilt Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Department was also shown around by the SGF.