The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Advanced Medical Services Limited (MedServe) has flagged off the first phase of its health care expansion programme to establish 23 diagnostic centres, three additional oncology centres and seven catheterisation laboratories across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
The first phase of the healthcare expansion project aims to establish diagnostics and oncology centres in ten locations, including Bauchi, Enugu, Kaduna, Sokoto, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Kwara, Plateau and Yobe states respectively.
The first phase of the MedServe healthcare expansion project was held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi State.
Read also: Pearl Oncology inaugurates facility in Lagos to boost healthcare
Aminu Umar-Sadiq, managing director/CEO, NSIA, described the feat as the culmination of five years of resilience and hard work, underpinned by a vision to birth what was once deemed impossible.
“For over five years, we have perfected the business model in terms of governance structure, pricing, recruitment and training of key personnel, and the patient experience.
“It is against this backdrop that MedServe is expanding from one to three oncology centres and two to ten diagnostic centres. We have anchored this in Bauchi State, which will be one of the ten centres in phase one of the healthcare expansion project.
“We commit to commissioning and operationalising these centres within 12 to 15 months,” Umar-Sadiq said.
He also said aside from the envisaged financial returns to MedServe, the healthcare expansion programme will deliver substantial socio-economic impact within Nigeria through expanded access to improved screening and diagnostics for communicable and non-communicable diseases, reduced cancer-related mortality rates and considerable employment opportunities for key personnel within the oncology and diagnostics value chain in Nigeria.
Read also: How nuclear medicine can boost Nigeria’s $18bn health market
Tolulope Adewole, managing director, MedServe, reaffirmed MedServe’s commitment to optimise oncology care through the creation of three additional oncology centres, strategic collaboration with key stakeholders to deepen capacity and partnerships with original equipment manufacturers to improve patient outcomes.
He added that the expansion project would leverage MedServe’s experience gained from successfully operating three demonstration projects namely: NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (NLCC), NSIA-Kano Diagnostic Centre (NKDC), NSIA-Umuahia Diagnostic Centre ( NUDC) located within the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia respectively.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health & social welfare, lauded NSIA’s investment in the healthcare sector and stated that the projects would be completed within 12 to 15 months, setting a new precedent for healthcare infrastructure investments in Nigeria.
Read also:‘Better equipment design has led to lower project cost and higher return on investment’
“About 12 months from now, the centres will be ready to deliver qualitative service across Nigeria. This is the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria,” Pate said.
Also speaking, Wale Edun, minister of finance, said he was impressed by the pace Medserve has mobilised original equipment manufacturers, service providers, technical partners and other stakeholders to actualise the healthcare expansion programme.
