Plans are now in top gear, to commence Kidney transplant at the Niger State-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) Specialist Hospital, Minna, the state capital, even as the state government has said it has expended over N1 billion so far, on the provision of healthcare services in the state.
The permanent secretary, ministry of health and hospital management, Niger state, Dr Mohammed Maku Sidi, stated this while addressing journalists at Press briefing at the government house, on Tuesday in Minna, the state capital.
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Dr Maku Sidi explained that all the necessary staffs, including transplant Surgeons, Nephrologists, “kidney doctors,” clinical transplant coordinators, donor coordinators, nurse practitioners (NA) and physician assistants (PA) have already received intensive training within and outside the country for the take-off of the Kidney transplant, department of IBB Specialist hospital, Minna.
He stated that the training of experts was to avoid any complication, adding that the required machines were already on ground and some minor kidney dialysis operations were already being handled perfectly in the hospital.
The permanent secretary, who argued that every Nigerian is vulnerable to health challenges, was however optimistic that the development will curtail Nigerians seeking medical attention outside the country.
He said the state government has recruited 767 health workers out of which, 250 are midwives, 300 health workers, 25 consultants, among others.
Meanwhile, the state government, according to him, had spent over N1 billion on the provision of healthcare services in the state
He said the fund was part of $6.4 million awarded to the state by Saving One Million lives for Result (SOML-R) programme that ranked Niger state among other states in Nigeria with the highest indices in health sector in the country.