Finance minister inaugurates MRI suites at ABUTH

Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, on Tuesday,  inaugurated 1.5 Tesla Elan Vantage, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Suit at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria.

The suit, which was named “Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed MRI Suite”, would do a lot of diagnosis which in the past could not be done in Nigeria.

The minister, who spoke at the inauguration of the project in Zaria, said naming the suite in her name was a huge honour to her.

“Thank you so much. Thanks to the selection committee, I’m very touched,” she said.

She noted that the venture had been initiated based on the necessity to avoid travelling abroad for first class health and medical care.

She added that the project was a stepping-stone to a forthcoming greater project of health and medical service in Nigeria.

According to her, improving healthcare is one of the priorities of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“That is why in spite of the very tight revenue constraints and the demands of other competing sectors, the health sector has continued to receive increased allocations,” she said.

Ahmed, however, tasked the management on the need to ensure that increased expenditures were actually improving healthcare outcomes.

In his remarks, the Minister of Health, Mr Osagie Ehanire, said the project was aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery in the catchment area of the hospital.

The minister, represented by Alhaji Abdulaziz-Mashi Abdullahi, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, said the project would enhance the delivery of quality healthcare services, especially in diagnosis and radiology services.

The minister said the facility would help to reduce the need for medical tourism to other countries and associated consequences of exchange rate.

He added that the ministry had prioritised the strengthening of tertiary institutions and the commission of the project was coming at a time when the world was affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

In his remarks, Amb. Ahmed Bamalli and Emir of Zazzau, commended the Federal Government on the project,
adding that in the recent past when one had a cause to conduct an MRI test, he or she had to travel to Kaduna, Kano or Abuja.

He added that having the machine at the facility in Zaria would reduce some burden on the people, therefore, the gesture was quite remarkable.