The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Hon. Clem Agba was at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City on Thursday 11th May, 2023 to inspect some of the state-of-the-art healthcare facilities recently built at the new site of the hospital located in Idunmwunowina Community, off Benin-Auchi Road. The facilities include: Molecular Laboratory, Isolation Centre and Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The Minister and his entourage who came into the hospital at about 4 pm was warmly received and led on a guided tour around the facilities by the Medical Director and his Management Team. It is noteworthy that the facilities were Covid-19 projects sponsored by the Federal Government.
While addressing journalists from different media houses, the Minister said that he felt good about the projects that have been executed, noting that the current administration was still working even though it was almost winding down. “It is good that you have seen that world-class facilities have been provided, and the personnel to make use of the equipment have also been appropriately trained”, he stated. He thus encouraged the Nigerian populace, especially those who prefer to travel abroad for medical treatment to take advantage of these world-class healthcare facilities and equipment as they were available in the country, adding that it was even cheaper. According to him, “I am also using this opportunity to reach out to Nigerians, to say use our facilities, our people are good and it is even cheaper”.
The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Imafidon O. Agbonile who was elated, thanked the Minister for the visit and the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for providing the hospital with the aforementioned facilities. He commended the Minister’s commitment and passion for delivery service to the people, stating that he was amazed that barely three (3) weeks to the end of the current administration, the Minister still found time to come and look at the facilities. Speaking to journalists, he said that the Hospital Management had the right and well trained manpower, including security personnel to manage the equipment for a sustained use so that the Nigerian citizens would not have any reason to seek medical treatment abroad.
The Medical Director also used the medium to place on record that though the hospital was primarily established to offer psychiatric services, the Federal Government had recently approved and granted the hospital a budget to build a General Medical Centre which was ongoing. He noted that the hospital had already started delivering general medical services, including maternity services at its site in Uselu. “Apart from psychiatric issues, our patients do have other illnesses, this is what prompted the Hospital Management to build a general medical centre”, he added.