The Federal Government and the Kaduna State Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to convert Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital, Kafanchan, into a Federal Medical Centre (FMC) to expand access to specialist healthcare in Southern Kaduna.
The agreement was signed on Thursday in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Kaduna State Government.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said tertiary healthcare should not be restricted to capital cities and major metropolitan centres.
“Tertiary healthcare must not remain a privilege of capital cities and metropolitan centres,” Salako said.
He said the initiative was guided by the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), which seeks to bring quality healthcare facilities within the reach of Nigerians, regardless of where they live.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government had established 16 additional federal tertiary health institutions across the six geopolitical zones in the last 42 months.
Salako said the ministry would work with the Kaduna State Government to upgrade the hospital’s infrastructure and diagnostic capacity, deploy specialist personnel and advanced medical equipment, and establish a pathway for absorbing interested existing health workers into the Federal Government’s workforce.
He said the hospital would be developed into a regional hub for medical training, research and specialised clinical services.
The minister also paid tribute to the late Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, former governor of Kaduna State, describing the transformation of the hospital into a centre of healing as a fitting tribute to his legacy.
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, commended the Federal Government for approving a second federal tertiary healthcare institution in the state.
Sani said the development would expand access to specialised medical services for Kaduna State’s growing population of approximately 12 million people.
He described the agreement as a demonstration of shared responsibility between the federal and state governments in addressing barriers to quality healthcare.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to a smooth handover of the facility, disclosing that the state government would continue paying the hospital workers’ salaries until they were successfully absorbed into the Federal Government’s payroll.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom S. mni, said the conversion would extend access to specialist healthcare, medical training and research to residents of Jema’a Local Government Area, neighbouring local government areas and communities in adjoining states.
She said the initiative advanced Priority Six of President Bola Tinubu’s Eight Presidential Priorities under the Renewed Hope Agenda and aligned with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
Kachollom emphasised the importance of bringing specialist healthcare closer to communities, noting that the development would reduce the cost and physical strain associated with travelling long distances for treatment.
“Bringing specialist care closer to communities would reduce the cost and physical strain of travelling long distances for treatment,” she said.
She added that the success of the agreement would be determined by the quality of services provided to patients.
“The measure of this agreement will ultimately be the quality of care delivered,” Kachollom said.
She explained that the ministry’s responsibility extended beyond establishing healthcare facilities to ensuring that Nigerians received quality medical services.
“Our mandate is to save lives, reduce both physical and financial pain, and produce health for all Nigerians,” she said.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Kaduna State Government to implement the agreed milestones, strengthen the hospital’s capacity and expand access to quality specialist healthcare for residents of Southern Kaduna and surrounding communities.