The Federal Government has distributed health equipment, drugs, ambulances, and maternity kits worth about N10 billion to improve healthcare services in Bauchi State.­

According to the Minister Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, who handed over the items to the state government on Saturday, said that the intervention targets 15 Local Government Areas, with 20 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) receiving drugs and commodities, while 30 PHCs receive medical equipment.

Pate said that the distributed items include: labour and delivery equipment, theatre equipment for surgeries and caesarean sections, neonatal intensive care equipment,laboratory equipment for maternity units, drugs and essential medical commodities.

Pate said that: “15 tricycle ambulances and 6 conventional ambulances have been provided to improve emergency referrals, especially in underserved communities. 17,000 maternity kits will be distributed to 17,000 pregnant women to support safe deliveries and reduce financial burdens on families.

“The Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has strengthened Bauchi’s health sector through upgrading the Teaching Hospital in Azare, establishing the Northeast VVF Centre in Ningi, creating a new Federal Medical Centre, Misau and upgrading the Teaching Hospital in Bauchi. He has supported over 100 revitalised primary healthcare centres in partnership with the state government,” he said.

He added that under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, more than 45 million Nigerians are getting (medical) services all over the country every quarter. “45 million visits. It is because of this effort that we are collectively doing together. So we in Bauchi State, of course, have been privileged.

“The President’s effort in Bauchi has been much more than what you would see in many other places. So on behalf of all of us that are here, the state government and all of us that are here, I want to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also for his great consideration to Bauchi State,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, Governor Bala Mohammed, represented by his deputy, Hon. Auwal Jatau, commended the Federal Government’s interventions in the state, adding that the equipment and consumable would reduce burden on the families. He expressed Bauchi government readiness to continue to partner and collaborate to deliver good governance to the people.

Also, the Minister also commissioned the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Clinical Trial Centre, a state-of-the-art facility established to strengthen clinical research, innovation, and evidence-based healthcare in Nigeria.

Speaking during the commissioning, the Chief Medical Director of ATBUTH, Professor Yusuf Bara Jibrin, described the Clinical Trial Centre as a major milestone in the hospital’s commitment to advancing medical research and improving healthcare outcomes through high-quality, ethical clinical trials conducted in line with international standards.