Kano State Governor Set To Commission $25.5 million Medical Center
The Kano State Government is billed to commission a $25.5 million Diagnostic and Disease Control Centre, DDCC, in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of the state. Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is set to commission the facility at a yet to be determined date in November.
The 100-bed space facility was constructed and donated by multinational pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, in conjunction with the Kano State Government to serve as both a diagnostic centre for the treatment and detection of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/ AIDS, polio, cerebro spinal meningitis, cholera, diarrhoea among others.
Built on 2.9 hectares out of a total land area of 9.6 hectares, the DDCC is expected to function as both a medical facility and a research and training centre for doctors and other healthcare professionals in Kano and neighbouring states. It also has facilities to quarantine patients during disease outbreaks which would assist medical personnel in tracking individual strains of causative agents so as to determine the type of medication required.
Donors of the project and pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, intend the facility to function as both a primary health facility as well as a complementary tertiary health facility to the already existing health institutions in Kano State. This will go a long way in improving health among Kano’s large population against the backdrop of frequent outbreak of infections like meningitis, cholera and polio.
Mr. David Odiwor, Executive Secretary of the Healthcare/Meningitis Trust Fund, an independent body which oversaw the construction of the facility, said the project is a world class facility. According to him, a similar centre which exists in Uganda does not equal the one in Kano in terms of size and equipment. He said the Ugandan facility is run on a business/private model which allows it to access grants from donor agencies across the globe, expressing the hope that the DDCC in Kano would be run on the same model when handed over for sustainability and efficiency.
Project Engineer, Mr. Nyasah Kanengoni, also explain the technical and scientific relevance of assorted machines and devices that have been installed at the DDCC. Most equipment including the refrigerating centrifuge, the haemathology analyser, the blood bank and universal microscope in the laboratories are electronically controlled. There are also incubators for preserving samples, specimens and other research cultures.
The Healthcare Related Programs Trust is administered by a six-member Board appointed by Pfizer Inc. and the Kano State Government. It is chaired by renowned university teacher and administrator, Prof. Shehu Galadanci. Other members of the Board include Ibrahim A. Haruna, Adamu Jafiya, Adamu Aliyu Kiyawa, Habibu Sadauki and one-time legal adviser to late Gen. Sani Abacha, Prof. Auwalu Yadudu.
0 comments:
Post a Comment