The project of 300-bed space ultra-modern Hospital at the New Millennium City in Kaduna State that was initiated in 2009 by the former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, while he was in office as the Governor of Kaduna state is still ongoing. The aim of the project as gathered then was part of his administration’s efforts to providing a comprehensive health facility to the teeming population of the state.
It was gathered that the project which was initiated in the said year was partly funded with a loan from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) with the support of the Kaduna State government with the aim to providing health services to the commoners and also put an end to Nigerians traveling out of the country on medical tourism, as it was also gathered that the project was conceived to provide the best of medicare comparable to the ones in other countries.
However, Namadi Sambo could not complete the project due to his elevation from Governor to the office of the Vice President. While on the project, the death of his successor, Patrick Yakowa dashed the completion of the World Class Hospital. On his assumption of office, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero shopped for the IDB loan to provide the needed facilities for the hospital and other developmental projects in the state.
Meanwhile, in 2014, The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) approved a loan of $141 million to the Kaduna State government for infrastructural development. Yero’s spokesman, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, was quoted then as saying that the loan was to be used for the provision of “critical infrastructure in Health, Education and Water Supply sectors”.
It was also gathered that the sum of $43.13million was earmarked for the provision of modern equipment at the 300-bed space Specialist Hospital, and while signing the loan agreement with officials of the IDB in April 2014, former governor Yero assured the people of the state of his commitment to complete the project, just as he was quoted as saying: “I want to assure the people that we have not abandoned any project and we remain committed to completing them based on the availability of funds.”
Close to six years that Ramalan Yero left office as the governor of Kaduna state, the project is still ongoing. This development not only worrisome but to residents have also decried the slow pace of the project, just have said that the project is long over due for completion. This has also killed the hope of many residents while lamenting that the project may not be completed soon.
The hospital which was designed to have a fertility clinic, a Cath Lab, physiotherapy ward, Renal Dialysis Centre and Oncology Centre, Operating Theatre among other things is seriously begging for completion from the government.
Daylight Reporters last visit to the site shows that contractor is back on site and our reporters who were at the site of the ongoing project reliably gathered that the project was handed over to the contractor that is currently on site in July 2019. The completion of the project is suppose to be this year hopefully, if all things being equal, as gathered by Daylight Reporters.
However, the present administration of Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-rufai had also sometimes in 2017 promised to complete this inherited project before the end of 2019 and meanwhile this is 2021 that a lot of work needed to be done on the site despite the fact that contractor is back to the site.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe was also quoted as saying: “the physical structure was almost ready, while the other equipment were already on ground, waiting to be fitted into the completed structure. “We are anxious to complete the hospital because it will be one of the largest medical centres in Kaduna. There are also plans for a cancer treatment centre to be cited in the facility. We want to ensure that the facility meets modern standards.
“We also have facilities for research toward providing answers to emerging medical questions. Our focus is clear- excellent healthcare delivery,” she said.
She disclosed that the state government had already procured equipment to be installed in the hospital once civil works were completed by the new contractor. “Oncology and Research units will be incorporated for the treatment of cancer and research of complex health cases,” she said while assuring the people of the state that quality service will be rendered to patients after the completion.”
Meanwhile, cross section of residents interviewed by Daylight Reporters frowned at the slow pace of the project, lamenting that the project is long over due for completion.
