Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni has approved the upgrade of the Ngelzarma Primary Healthcare Centre (NPHC) to a fully fledged and equipped General Hospital sited along the 100-kilometre Damaturu-Potiskum road.

Buni said the Ngelzarma hospital will serve as part of his administration’s ongoing health sector reforms aimed at improving access to quality healthcare delivery services across the state.

The approval upgrade the health facility was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Damaturu by the State’s Director-General of Press and Media Affairs, Mamman Mohammed.

According to the statement, the decision to upgrade the health facility was informed by the growing population of Ngelzarma and other neighbouring communities, where healthcare needs and medical services are required for improved living conditions.

Beyond the upgrade to a General Hospital, the governor said: “This is in line with the reforms declared in the health sector by the state government,” adding that healthcare development occupies a prominent position as on a priority list.

Buni, therefore, assured residents that the state government would equip the upgraded facility with the necessary medical equipment and infrastructure to enable the health centre to function effectively as a standard General Hospital.

The latest upgrade adds to a series of investments by the Buni administration in the state’s healthcare delivery sector.

The state government had previously upgraded eight Primary Healthcare Centres at Bara, Buni- Gari, Babbangida, Yunusari, Machina, Jajimaji, Nguru and Gulani to General Hospitals.

Buni also elevated four General Hospitals in Potiskum, Gashua, Geidam and Buni-Yadi to Specialist Hospitals, by expanding the capacity of the state’s healthcare system to provide more advanced medical services to the people.

The upgrade of the health facility is expected to improve access to secondary healthcare services for residents of the community and surrounding areas while reducing the need for referrals to faraway hospitals.