……..Assures Patients Of Quality Care.
The Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) has demonstrated the commitment of the Ministry of Defence to the provision of globally acceptable standard medical infrastructure and health care delivery to the serving and retired Officers and Personnel of the Armed Forces.
A prove of the General Magashi’s commitment to the avowed health care delivery agenda under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration undoubtedly manifested when he paid an unscheduled visit to the Armed Forces Specialist hospital.
The Minister said the purpose of the visit was to inspect the state of the medical facilities to gather firsthand information and to have on-the-spot assessment of the current status of the hospital with a view to identifying areas requiring immediate, short and long time planning to strategically re- reposition it.
General Magashi who was received, briefed and conducted round the hospital by its Acting Chief Medical Director, Armed Forces Specialist hospital, Kano, Colonel Daniel Chukwunonye Ukwu seized the opportunity to put on record some of the changes and challenges in the staffing, funding, operations and administration under his watch.
The Minister who was accompanied on the visit by his Special Adviser (Technical), Major General Ahmed Tijani Jibrin (rtd) and Special Assistant (Special duty) Ibrahim Jubril Wudil had quality one- on-one interactive moments with some patients in the male and female wards.
At the end of the inspection of the equipment that lasted for more than an hour, General Magashi identified options as workable solutions to optimize their functionalities for the benefit of the patients.
The three actionable templates going forward according to the Minister were the categorisation of medical equipment to be listed under the ones to be repaired, replaced or upgraded within a clearly defined timeline and budgetary provision.
These critical areas of essentials requiring speedy executive buy- in to change the narrative in the hospital were carefully noted for intervention by the Defence Minister.
No doubt the visit of the Minister of Defence expectedly rekindled a new vitsa of hope for the better years ahead by the Management, staff and patients that a new life will soon be breathed into the hospital to enable it deliver on its mandate to meet the contemporary primary and secondary health care needs of the Military and Civilian target beneficiaries who are either resident in Kano or on referral cases.
The Armed Forces Specialist Hospital Kano which was established in 1999 is one hundred bedded with one hundred and sixty two staff strength drawn from the public and private partnership arrangements and engagements including the Ministry of Defence and the Tri- services.
Mohammad Abdulkadri
Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence on Media and Publicity
