President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), a healthcare expansion programme, through which 120,000 frontline health workers would be retrained.
According to a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the President’s spokesman, the initiative, launched on Friday in Bauchi State, will improve the health and social well-being of Nigerians, drive economic development, and position Nigeria as a healthcare hub within Africa.
He noted that under the programme, 10 world-class healthcare facilities specialising in oncology and diagnostics will be established across the nation’s six geopolitical zones, building on the success of previous projects, including the NSIA-Lagos University Teaching Hospital Cancer Centre, the NSIA-Kano Diagnostic Centre, and the NSIA-Umuahia Diagnostic Centre.
Tinubu was represented by Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, said the new projects would complement the ongoing expansion of cancer infrastructure and equipment in six federal teaching hospitals.
He pointed out that beyond providing essential healthcare to Nigerians, these facilities would reverse the trend of outbound medical tourism.
He also said upon completion of the first phase, the NSIA, through its subsidiary, Medserve, would operate the largest chain of oncology and diagnostic centres in West Africa, adding that the facility has the capacity to train up to 500 clinicians over three years, in addition to enhancing clinical trial and research capabilities.
Underscoring the viability of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), the President affirmed that the nation’s productivity and wealth depended on the vitality of its people.
He stated that basic healthcare was a fundamental human right, as well as a matter of long-term national security.
Sen. Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, thanked the President for his landmark investments in the health sector.
