President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his administration’s drive to continually provide affordable healthcare services to the public.
The President gave the assurance yesterday when he inaugurated the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital in Calabar.
He said that his administration also placed premium on the welfare and well-being of security personnel who fought tirelessly to maintain peace and order in the country.
He added that the reference hospital would improve the quality of health services to naval personnel, their families and the public.
According to him, the drive of his administration is also to provide affordable healthcare services to the people.
He said “the importance of this facility cannot be over-emphasised, most importantly for the personnel of the Armed Forces in view of the enormous mental and physical exertion.
“I have no doubt that this facility, built with the state-of-the-art equipment, will improve the health standard of military personnel, their families and the public.
“I charge the Navy to ensure sustenance of this high standard hospital. This will help to realise the value of resources committed into the project.
“Our investment in healthcare and accommodation for military personnel will help them to bring out their best in national security.”
The president also inaugurated the 100 units model bricks accommodation at Atimbo Navy barracks for officers of the Eastern Naval Command.
The chief of naval staff said that the building of the project was conceived between 1974 and 1976.
Mr Ete-Ibas explained that the project was designed to serve as a model medical force multiplier facility for the Nigerian Navy and other military and paramilitary services in the southern part of the country.
The CNS said that the physical fitness and accommodation of naval personnel was key to discharging optimal services.
He explained that the hospital had been equipped with modern facilities that would help in reducing medical tourism abroad.
According to him, the hospital has the capacity to effectively attend to no less than 50 physiotherapy patients daily.
He added that “although work commenced on the facility in 1980 as a project of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, it suffered slow progress and was eventually handed over to Ministry of Defence in 1994.
“By 2012 when the Nigerian Navy took over the project, it was barely at 30 per cent completion over the 32 years construction period.
“A renewed commitment was however made in 2016 by the Nigerian Navy administration to deliver the hospital better than it was originally conceptualised.”
He commended President Buhari for releasing funds for the completion of the project, expressing hope that the value of the investment would be realised.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, represented by Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of State for Health, lauded the Navy for the achievement.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Calabar, Cross River State, inaugurated rice seeds and seedling factory built by the Cross River State government.
Mr Buhari described the factory as a reference point in Nigeria’s effort to kick-start a revolution in agriculture.
“When we got into power, this administration launched a zero-oil economic roadmap as a way of making our country less dependent on oil, while encouraging investments in other sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture.
“Indeed, this factory speaks loudly about the giant strides we are making in agriculture as a country,” said an obviously elated Mr Buhari.
The president said he hoped that the factory would help improve rice production in Nigeria from three to four tones per hectre to about nine tones per hectre, and thereby help the country to achieve rice sufficiency.
He commended the Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, for establishing the factory.
“It is evident that by conceiving projects such as this, governor Ayade has a keen eye for tomorrow, focusing on projects that are building a new economic base for the state, rather than projects with short-term benefits for the purpose of making cheap political gains,” Mr Buhari said.