By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the Niger state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago says that the state government has concluded plans to convert the Shiroro Hotels, Minna to a teaching hospital.
This move is to improve access to healthcare services in the state.
Speaking when he flagged off the upgrade of a central medical store to pharma-grade standard in Minna on Friday, the governor noted that the contract agreement for the Teaching Hospital will be signed next week and contractors will move to the site immediately.
Bago said that his administration has identified revamping the health sector as a cardinal point of his administration hence, the Ministry of Primary Health Care and Ministry of Secondary and Tertiary Health Care were created separately for effectiveness and efficiency.
He urged healthcare workers to remain dedicated to their duties, promising that hisadministration will come up with a policy of presenting awards such as houses, vehicles, and scholarships to the best-performing health workers to encourage and boost their morale.
This online platform reports the governor had also flagged off the distribution of 25 motorcycles as well as essential medicines to the Primary Health Care Departments in all the 25 local government areas of the state.
The upgrade and the provision of motorcycles and essential medicine was facilitated by a partnership between the Niger State government and the Federal Government, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)/and Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
According to the Commissioner for Primary Health Care, Dr. Ibrahim Dangana, the Niger state governor has directed the release of N170 million out of N400 million for the revitalization of all the Primary Health Care centers across the three geopolitical zones of the state.
This he said is in addition to the sum of N250 million to all the focal PHCs in all the 274 wards in the state.