President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, commissioned a state-of-the-art speciality eye hospital in Abuja.
In his remarks, Mr President commended the management of the Indian-owned hospital for their contribution towards healthcare delivery in Nigeria, noting that the hospital was the third of its kind in Nigeria.
Represented by the Minister of State, Education, Chief Goodluck Nana Opiah, President Buhari assured the international community that the present administration will continue to provide an enabling environment for foreign and local investors.
Dr Opiah stated that with the commissioning of Skipper Eye-Q Super Specialty hospital, the “frequency with which Nigerians travel abroad to seek eye care services with the attendant financial drain will reduce.
Also speaking, the founding partner of Skipper Eye-Q hospital, Dr Jitender Sachdeva, stated that the sighting of the world-class medical facility in Abuja was to bring the hospital’s services closer to Northern Nigeria.
He said: “We have two hospitals in Lagos and we perform almost 100 surgeries in a month from the North. So, why not come close to the Northern part of the country, there was no better option than Abuja.
“Abuja is a place that has a mixture of the middle, lower and upper class. Those who have the spending capacity. The Best equipment has been brought into the facility for surgeries and checks so that people can get the best of eye care services.
Mr Sachdeva noted that Nigeria has a flourishing economy and is an investment destination and further urged other foreign companies to invest in the country.
Also speaking, the Chairman, of Nigeria Medical Association, FCT Chapter, Dr Charles Ugwuanya, noted that the eye hospital could not have come to Abuja at a better time. He stated that having successfully treated over one million patients for eye-related issues, the hospital is indeed, a huge advantage to Nigeria.
He believed that Nigeria’s healthcare sector will grow to the extent that Nigerian hospitals will begin to open branches abroad.
He said: “We look forward to a Nigeria where our health indices will improve so much so that Nigerian hospitals will open branches in UK, Dubai and other countries.”
He also called for an enabling environment that will make Nigerian doctors proud to work in Nigerian hospitals and stop moving abroad in their thousands.
In a goodwill message, the Inspector General of Police, Mr Alkali Baba, stated that he made efforts to personally attend the opening of the hospital as an attestation to the tremendous benefits it had to Nigeria.
He added that he had visited the Skipper hospital in India and that the Abuja hospital was a prototype adding that no Nigerian needed to travel abroad for eye care again.
Guardian
