FCTA to Build World-class Healthcare Infrastructure for Abuja, Says Fasawe

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that it will embark on the development of modern hospital infrastructure in Abuja.
The administration also restated its resolve to ensure that there is zero tolerance for maternal mortality in the FCT, adding that there will be no reason for a pregnant woman to die in Abuja due to child birth.
Mandate Secretary Health Services and Environment, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, revealed this while speaking to journalists during the roll out of a free medical outreach services for residents of the Bwari Area Council in Abuja last Friday.
She said: “It is also my pleasure to announce that the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike is moving into the infrastructural development in health sector. If you look at our hospitals today, a lot of them are looking old, we are working on remodeling, introducing best practices and building new hospitals facilities. Hospitals where people can access quality care.
“Very soon the minister will be commissioning new projects in the health sector that will serve the people in Abuja”.
Speaking while flagging-off the free medical outreach,

the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, said that the FCT administration is fully committed to meeting not just the peoples’ health needs, but also the needs that would give the residents of the FCT the best health services.
Mahmoud noted that Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa with high maternal and child morbidity and mortality resulting from poor ANC attendance, low facility-based delivery, low uptake of immunization and family planning services, especially in hard-to-reach communities.
She also noted that rapid population expansion leading to increased demand for health services has posed serious health challenges to the administration.

To address some of these identified challenges, the minister stressed the FCT administration’s commitment in improving the primary healthcare system, such as renovation, upgrading and building of more primary health centers across the six area councils, and employment of more healthcare workers.
While explaining the objective of the outreach programme, Fasawe said that free medical missions are global best practice used to provide targeted medical and surgical care to meet the health needs of the underserved and vulnerable populations.
She also said that the outreach programme was meant to create awareness on the benefits accruable to residents who register on the FCT Health insurance scheme.
Her words: “The minister, Nyesom Wike has declared that there’s zero tolerance for maternal mortality; that means in Abuja, there’s no reason for a pregnant woman to die due to childbirth complications, and that is why we have brought this programme here.
“We have even brought our health insurance desk here so they can register. Today is just to show them what you will get if you register on our health insurance scheme. Everything we have brought here today will be left in the Bwari General Hospital to encourage people that if government says so, they will do so.

“Health insurance has been declared free for every pregnant woman in the FCT, not only for the pregnant woman, for the child that will be delivered, the first year of his life. Even if you have to do a caesarean section, you are covered under our health insurance scheme. I believe this is bringing hope to the people.

“We know the socioeconomic situation of the country right now. The least prescription we have done here today is for one month, for those who are hypertensive, diabetic and other chronic illnesses. You can save the money of your medicine and use it for other things.

“This is the second Local Government Area we are coming to. Kuje was the first, this is the second, and before the end of the year, we will touch many area councils, even internally displaced persons camps.”

“Today we have served over 2000 patients. The essence of this programme is to make people aware of services in our healthcare facilities,” she further said.

r will be commissioning new projects in the health sector that will serve the people in Abuja”.
Speaking while flagging-off the free medical outreach, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, said that the FCT administration is fully committed to meeting not just the peoples’ health needs

, but also the needs that would give the residents of the FCT the best health services.
Mahmoud noted that Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa with high maternal and child morbidity and mortality resulting from poor ANC attendance, low facility-based delivery, low uptake of immunization and family planning services, especially in hard-to-reach communities.

She also noted that rapid population expansion leading to increased demand for health services has posed serious health challenges to the administration.
To address some of these identified challenges, the minister stressed the FCT administration’s commitment in improving th

e primary healthcare system, such as renovation, upgrading and building of more primary health centers across the six area councils, and employment of more healthcare workers.
While explaining the objective of the outreach programme, Fasawe said that free medical missions are global best practice used to provide targeted medical and surgical care to meet the health needs of the underserved and vulnerable populations.
She also said that the outreach programme was meant to create awareness on the benefits accruable to residents who register on the FCT Health insurance scheme.

Her words: “The minister, Nyesom Wike has declared that there’s zero tolerance for maternal mortality; that means in Abuja, there’s no reason for a pregnant woman to die due to childbirth complications, and that is why we have brought this programme here.
“We have even brought our health insurance desk here so they can register. Today is just to show them what you will get if you register on our health insurance scheme. Everything we have brought here today will be left in the Bwari General Hospital to encourage people that if government says so, they will do so.

“Health insurance has been declared free for every pregnant woman in the FCT, not only for the pregnant woman, for the child that will be delivered, the first year of his life. Even if you have to do a caesarean section, you are covered under our health insurance scheme. I believe this is bringing hope to the people.

“We know the socioeconomic situation of the country right now. The least prescription we have done here today is for one month, for those who are hypertensive, diabetic and other chronic illnesses. You can save the money of your medicine and use it for other things.

“This is the second Local Government Area we are coming to. Kuje was the first, this is the second, and before the end of the year, we will touch many area councils, even internally displaced persons camps.”

“Today we have served over 2000 patients. The essence of this programme is to make people aware of services in our healthcare facilities,” she further said.