Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has unveiled a 400-bed teaching hospital at the state-owned Kashim Ibrahim University in Maiduguri and commissioned the Yerwa Practice Mega School in the state capital.
Zulum unveiled the projects on Friday, describing them as evidence of his administration’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery and education across the state.
“It is with great joy that I stand before you today on this historic commissioning ceremony of the Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital and Yerwa Practice Primary, Junior and Secondary School, Maiduguri,” the governor said.
He said his administration had prioritised investment in healthcare infrastructure to improve access to medical services across Borno.
“The present administration has deliberately prioritised the health sector in order to provide critical infrastructure across the length and breadth of the state,” he said.
Zulum assured residents that the government would continue to support the teaching hospital to ensure it provides quality healthcare services.
“Let me say that the Borno State Government will continue to invest in this institution. We have recruited qualified health professionals. We provide equipment and an enabling environment for this hospital to function at the highest level,” he said.
The governor also urged the hospital’s management to maintain efficiency, discipline and professionalism in running the facility.
Speaking at the event, Vice-President Kashim Shettima commended the Borno State Government for completing the projects, saying their benefits would extend to future generations.
He described the hospital and schools as signs of the state’s recovery after more than a decade of insurgency.
“The ultra-modern Kashim Ibrahim teaching hospital and the schools in Maiduguri and across the state are evidence that Borno is recovering,” Shettima said.
He said the teaching hospital would bring specialised medical services closer to residents while providing opportunities to train healthcare professionals.
“A teaching hospital will bring specialised care closer to our community for families who are already bothered by illnesses. Also, the knowledge that will be acquired here will strengthen healthcare for generations to come,” he said.
Shettima conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s congratulations to the state government and residents on the completion of the projects.
The 400-bed Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital has 13 specialist departments covering areas including diagnostics, medicine, surgery, emergency care, paediatrics, internal medicine and physiotherapy.
Its diagnostic equipment includes a 1.5-tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner, a 160-slice computed tomography scanner, three conventional X-ray machines, two mobile X-ray machines, three 4D ultrasound machines, a fluoroscopy system and a digital mammography machine.