Govt to build 10,000 hospitals nationwide

Afe Babalola decries strike as minister commissions N3.1b medical facilities

The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, has disclosed that 10,000 primary health facilities will be built in the 774 local government areas across the country for effective service delivery to the people and to decongest the tertiary institutions in the two next years.

He also said that over 60 million indigent Nigerians are being targeted by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to enjoy unfettered medical care by 2018.

Prof Adewole spoke yesterday at the Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti (FTHIE) while commissioning twelve projects initiated by the institution and Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD).

The highbrow university had been in partnership with the hospital for the training of its medical students, which encouraged the government to up the status of the hospital to a medical training institution.

While commending the founder of ABUAD, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) and the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Majekodunmi Ayodele for providing the state of the art facilitates for the teaching institution, Prof. Adewole said: “what is symbolic about today is that we are commissioning 12 projects through the partnership and Memorandum of understanding this hospital signed with Afe Babalola University.

“I want to thank Aare Afe Babalola for his investment not only in education, but also in this hospital.”

However, both the Minister and Babalola bemoaned the incessant leadership tussle leading to incessant strikes in federal institutions in recent times and noted that the sordid scenarios are killing the sector and reducing its quality.

Babalola, who appealed to the medical personnel to desist from going on strike, however, noted that it was morally wrong for them to continuing to receive salaries and allowances while on strike.