The National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has flagged off the first phase of its Advanced Medical Services Limited (MedServe), which will see it establishing 23 diagnostic centres, three additional oncology centres and seven cathetherisation laboratories across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for the first phase of the MedServe healthcare expansion project at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi State, the Managing Director and Chief Executive, NSIA, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, described the programme as the culmination of five years of resilience and hard work, underpinned by a vision to birth what was once deemed impossible.
He said: q”Over the ensuing 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 10 diagnostic centres. We have anchored this in Bauchi State, which will be one of the 10 centres in phase one of the healthcare expansion project.
“We commit to commissioning and operationalising these centres within 12 to 15 months.”
The Pathway gathered that aside from the envisaged financial returns to MedServe, the healthcare expansion programme would deliver substantial socio-economic impact within Nigeria, through expanded access to improved screening and diagnostics for communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as reduce cancer-related mortality rates and considerable employment opportunities for key personnel within the oncology and diagnostics value chain in Nigeria.
The Managing Director of MedServe, Dr Tolulope Adewole, at the ceremony re-affirmed MedServe’s commitment to optimise oncology care by 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.
The Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, lauded NSIA’s vision for the healthcare sector and stated that the projects will be completed within 12 to 15 months, setting a new precedent for healthcare infrastructure investments in Nigeria.
“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 commenting at the groundbreaking ceremony, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun said: “I have been impressed by the pace with which Medserve has mobilised original equipment manufacturers, service providers, technical partners and other stakeholders to actualize the healthcare expansion programme.”
MedServe remains dedicated to empowering Nigerians by improving healthcare access through strategic medical infrastructure investments and human capital development, he said.
The first phase of the healthcare expansion project aims to establish diagnostics and oncology centres in 10 locations including Bauchi, Enugu, Kaduna, Sokoto, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Kwara, Plateau and Yobe states respectively.
The expansion project will 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 present at the groundbreaking ceremony was Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohamme
