Kaduna Earmarks N4.6bn to Upgrade, Equip Hospitals

By Ahmed Rahma

The Kaduna State government has made arrangements to upgrade and equip its general hospitals next year as part of efforts to give quality healthcare to residents of the state.

According to the Ministry of Health in the state, the upgrade and equipping of the health facilities would gulp N4.6 billion. The fund would be taken from the N9.1 billion approved for the ministry for capital projects next year.

It was gathered that for the construction and equipping of 300-bed specialist Hospital, the approved budget documents have shown that N2 billion was allocated for it.

Also in the document, N20.7 million was allocated for the procurement of reagents and consumables for general hospitals and N752 million for COVID-19 intervention: construction of isolation centres and procurement of ambulances.

It also indicated that the total sum of N22.5 million was allocated for the construction and repairs of the standard accident and emergency unit at some general hospitals, N800 million for the construction of a trauma centre at Doka, N23.5 million for the procurement and installation of an electric medical incinerator, one in each senatorial zone.

It further showed that N24.9 million was earmarked for the procurement of dialysis consumables, N65.8 million for the completion and upgrading of a rural hospital in Fadan Kagoma and N482 million for the construction of new College of Nursing and Midwifery at Pambegua.

For the neglected Tropical Disease Control Programme, N25 million was earmarked, N188 million was allocated for the Kaduna State Emergency Nutrition Action Plan and N25.2 million budgeted for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Drug-Resistant.

A total of N28.2 million was allocated for the scale-up of tuberculosis drugs susceptible services in public and private health facilities, while N104.8 million was allocated for malaria programme.

The state government also allocated N8.9 billion to the State Primary Health Care Development Board, for capital projects, of which N594.6 million was for the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for COVID-19.