Gombe State Government To Build Snake Bite Treatment Hospital

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines Thursday, December 26th, 2013

Bamidele Ruth- Lagos

The Gombe State Government said it had awarded a N500 million contract for the building of a 250-bed capacity Snake Bite Treatment Hospital.

Gov Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kennedy Ishaya, said the existing snake bite treatment centre had received 500 doses of anti-snake venom for the free treatment of snake bite patients.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the General Hospital, Zambuk, in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area of the state had been converted to an Infectious Diseases Treatment Hospital.

Ishaya said the government also increased the budget for free antenatal care and children under the age of five, from N19.5 million quarterly to N25 million.

According to him, patients from neighbouring states including Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Taraba and Adamawa, access treatment free of charge in Gombe State.

He said that a law had been enacted forbidding stigmatisation of People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWA) in the state.

“Arrangement has been concluded for the introduction of electronic medical records, whereby each client’s record is in the computer, and he can access treatment through his mobile phone.”

The commissioner said that the Women and Children Hospital and a new School of Nursing and Midwives, being built at N2.4 billion, had almost been completed. Ishaya said the school, which cost N1 billion, was almost completed, except for the fencing of its premises.

He expressed the hope that by March 2014, it would be relocated from Gombe to Dukku. He said the school, established 15 years ago, graduated only 120 students due to its non accreditation.

“In 2013, however, we got accreditation for it and so far, within two academic sessions, we have graduated 200 nurses and midwives, ” he said.

Similarly, he said the N475 million women and children hospital, embarked upon by the government, was completed and that some of the N1 billion equipment ordered for it had been delivered.

He said all the structures for the hospital were completed, except the Twin Theatre and Children Park which were not part of the plan in the initial stage. According to him, the construction of the hospital will reduce the rate of infant and maternal deaths.

He said the institution would be inaugurated in 2014 when all the equipment ordered would have arrived in Gombe.

On the newly constructed dialysis centre, he said government had placed order for four machines and beds, among other equipment.

“At any moment, the equipment will arrive and by January, the centre will start functioning and it will serve the entire state as well as neighbouring states.”

He said the centre was necessary because people had to travel to other states that had the facilities for dialysis.

“Here in Gombe, it is only the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) that has the facilities; so, constructing a new one will reduce the number of patients going to the FMC.”

Ishaya said the School of Health Technology, Kaltungo, got accreditation, adding that courses for community health workers, environmental health officers and pharmacists had been fully accredited.

NAN