Senator Garba Musa Maidoki representating Kebbi South Senatorial District has appealed to the law makers and the Federal Ministry of health and Social Welfare to support the Bill Sponsored by him for the establishment of Federal Medical center Zuru in Kebbi State.
During the public hearing held in Abuja the Senator stated that
From a historical perspective, Federal Medical Centers were established
by Decree No.10 of 1985 University Teaching Hospitals (Decree of
1985), now Laws of the Federation.
“Subsequently and specifically, FMC
Birnin Kebbi was established on 6′ June, 2000 under CAP 462 of the
Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. So, these FMCs like (FMC Birnin
Kebbi) were created across the Country to serve as Tertiary Health
Facilities. Their establishment have created healthcare strata flowing
from primary providers (such as Primary Health Centers, General
Hospitals), through the secondary healthcare providers, which are
General Hospitals to the tertiary healthcare providers, the FMCs
Teaching Hospitals and Research Centers.
“In Kebbi State, we are lucky; the FMC Birnin Kebbi has been upgraded
to University Teaching Hospital, Birnin Kebbi by the Federal
Government.
“We appreciate and commend the Federal Government for
this gesture. The people of Zuru Emirate with 4 Local Government
Areas with an average population of over one million and coupled with
the sprawling population of Kebbi South with 7 Local Government
Areas having an average population of about One Million Seven
Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety Five
(1,770,395) people, the population of Kebbi South Senatorial District is
reasonably large.
These and other reasons call for the quest and desire
for the establishment of the FMC, Zuru.
“It may interest my Distinguished Colleagues and the general public to
note that the distance between Zuru Emirate and Kebbi State capital
(Birnin Kebbi), is about 240 km and similar distance between the
headquarters of Yauri Emirate and the State capital.
“This is a reasonable
challenge to convey sick people including children and pregnant women
to the secondary/tertiary Healthcare Institutions in Birnin Kebbi, the
State Capital.
“The deplorable state of all roads from Zuru to Koko and subsequently to
the state capital makes a journey of one hour under normal
circumstances, to take an average of 6 hours.
We are however grateful to
Kebbi State Government for addressing this challenge now.
“There exist Primary and Secondary Health Facilities that are to serve as
feeders to the proposed FMC, Zuru.
“They include General Hospitals Bena, Wasagu, Ribah, Dirin Daji, Mahuta, Senchi Zuru, Yauri, Warah,
Shanga, and Rural Health Centers in all the major villages of the
Senatorial District.
“The proposed FMC will provide services to some parts of Niger, Zamfara and Sokoto States within the radius of 50km
“It is a well-known slogan that health is wealth and an average human
being will do anything to ensure that he/she stays as healthy as God created him.
He further explained that the Bill is
aimed at providing Secondary Health Care Facilities to a group of people that are disadvantaged and wish to enjoy the dividends of
democracy.
“The people of Zuru and
Yauri Emirates will have easy access to health care, which is a
fundamental privilege, expected from any government and the people of
these two Emirates greatly desire these rights as citizens of this great
country he added.
