Esther M.A
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, said there was no longer the need for anyone to travel abroad to seek medical attention.
He said this after a guided tour of Duchess International Hospital in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
He expressed delight that the hospital was one the projects the Federal Government has supported to succeed. He explained that even where the project is private-sector driven, the government has either provided the enabling environment or, in some cases, supported with funding.
He described the 100-bed facility as purpose-built, state-of-the-art, which is aimed at delivering the highest standard of health care, using the most advanced technology and treatments to provide Nigerians with the best medical expertise available anywhere in the world.
He stated that patients were already coming in from other countries, stressing that it was a one-stop shop for comprehensive medical treatments.
The minister recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had set up the N100 billion healthcare sector intervention fund in the wake of COVID-19.
“The Federal Government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bank of Industry (BOI), provided financial support for Duchess International Hospital. Recall that in the wake of COVID-19, the CBN set up the N100 billion healthcare sector intervention fund, now expanded to N200 billion, to provide credit support for the healthcare sector through long-term, low-cost financing,” the minister said.
According to him, with that, Nigeria can conserve its foreign reserves, earn foreign exchange, create jobs, reverse brain drain, become a destination for medical tourists and also ensure affordable and standard healthcare for Nigerians.
Meanwhile, statistics generated by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, monitored by Pulse reports that between 7th to 9th May 2022, 6 new confirmed cases were recorded in Nigeria. The 6 new cases are reported from 3 States- Rivers (3), Lagos (2) and FCT (1)
Till date, 255,802 cases have been confirmed, 249,936 cases have been discharged and 3,143 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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