Zulum commissions Eye, Dental Hospitals, Nursing College in Monguno

Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum on wednesday commissioned three landmark projects, including eye and dental hospitals, and a college of nursing, in Monguno town in the northern Borno.

Delivering his address, Zulum noted that the College of nursing aims to address workforce shortages in the healthcare facilities in rural areas in the northern Borno senatorial district.

He said, “What matters is not only the construction of facilities, but human resources for health are key ingredient that will ensure the provision of quality healthcare in Borno State. Therefore, this college of nursing will train our younger ones in nursing, midwifery, and allied health courses so that they can fill the required manpower gap not only in this region but also in other parts of Borno state.”

The eye hospital, equipped with modern diagnostic and surgical tools, will provide sight-saving treatments and surgeries locally, eliminating the incidence of eye conditions like cataracts, glaucoma and trachoma, which can lead to preventable blindness if left untreated. 

The dental hospital will offer services from basic check-ups and fillings to more complex procedures, addressing a long-neglected aspect of healthcare in the area.

The governor also announced that with the commissioning of the eye hospital in Monguno, free eye surgery operations for 5,000 less privileged people in northern Borno had been flagged off.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Prof. Baba Mallam Gana, commended Governor Zulum for transforming the health care system.

He noted that the Zulum administration had consistently prioritised high budgetary provision for the health sector, meeting the Abuja declaration of 15 percent budgetary provision for the healthcare.

The occasion was attended by Senator representing northern Borno, Barr Mohammed Tahir Monguno, APC Chairman, Bello Ayuba, Member representing Monguno Marte Nganzai at the House of Representatives, Engr Bukar Talba, Speaker Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan and senior government officials.

Okays N3bn for construction of a Specialist Hospital in Monguno

Meanwhile, Governor Zulum has directed the release of 3 billion naira for constructing a Specialist Hospital in Monguno.

When completed, the hospital will serve as a referral centre for northern Borno’s 10 local government areas.

The governor said, “Furthermore, very soon we shall flag the construction of a befitting specialist hospital, General Hospital in Monguno. The project will cost the Borno state government about three billion naira the construction only, without equipping it.

“This project will soon start in Monguno town, and it will be fully equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities like MRI, CT scan and others like the one in Maiduguri metropolitan council, so that the ten local areas of northern Borno need not go to Maiduguri the state capital for their medical attention in sha Allah.

“With the take off of the specialist hospital, we will introduce a residency training for medical doctors here in Monguno. So that, the major problem that we are facing in this region of the state, which is the human resources gap, can be reduced to the barest minimum.”

To build 100 houses for health workers

Governor Zulum also announced the approval for the construction of 100 houses in Monguno to address the housing deficit for the health care workers.

He stated: “I want to assure you that beneficial accommodation will soon be provided to all these staff so they can leave comfortably. However, as an interim measure. The commissioner for local Government, as well as the chairman of the Monguno local government council, should identify some edifice within the town so that the Borno state government will take over this edifice on a rental basis pending the completion of the new housing estate for these doctors.

“The Commissioner for the Local Government is also to identify a site for constructing nothing fewer than one hundred housing units here in Monguno immediately, the personnel working in Monguno, especially the medical personnel and teachers living in Monguno, shall be given befitting accommodation. And in sha Allah we shall flag up this project very soon.”