3rd May, 2022
The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, OSSAP-SDGs has constructed and equipped an eighty – bed health care Centre for the use of students and staff of Lagos State University, LASU.
While inaugurating the hospital for use recently, Lagos governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noted that the facility will meet the health care needs of the numerous students and staff within the institution.
Speaking during the commissioning, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire stated that the facility, as with other hospitals and primary healthcare Centres constructed and equipped by her Office across the country, is a clear demonstration of the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari government to address the health challenge in Nigeria.
She added that the facility is also in furtherance of the bid to ensure Nigeria is not left behind in the race to achieve SDG-3 on ‘Quality Health and Well-being for all’, as well as other cross-cutting SDGs.
The presidential aide noted that health and well being are a cardinal part of the SDGs.
“Its centrality underscores the saying that health is wealth, and that a healthy people are a wealthy people. The inter-linkages of the goals suggest that with good health, there is a high tendency for economic growth which will in turn give room for reduction in hunger and poverty rate.
“With its commissioning today, the Primary Healthcare Centre, LASU joins other such facilities already delivered by OSSAP-SDGs, and are being put to good use to save lives across the country,” Princess Orelope-Adefulire stated.
She further noted that the 80 – bed Primary Healthcare Centre, LASU is fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including Intensive Care Unit, Operating Theatre, Laboratory, Blood Bank, Consultation Rooms, Emergency Ward as well as Male and Female Wards among other facilities.
“These facilities are testament to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment in prioritizing policies and programmes with potential impact on the lives of the poor and vulnerable Nigerians. It is therefore expected that State government and the management of the institution will make judicious use of the Centre in a sustainable way for the benefit of the staff and students.
Princess Orelope-Adefulire added that her Office is committed to prioritizing key interventions with multiplier effects on multi-dimensional poverty, such as this strategic healthcare provisioning.
She noted that since OSSAP- SDGs executed a number of strategic interventions across the 36 states and the FCT aimed at improving the health sector in Nigeria since 2016.
According to her, between 2017 and 2020, OSSAP-SDGs has completed or about to complete the construction and equipping of a total of 34 number 120 Beds Mother and Child Centres; 16 number 80 Beds Ultra-Modern Hospitals; and 84 number Primary Healthcare Centres across the country among other numerous projects, while over 4,634 specialized hospital Beds were supplied to different Hospitals across the country.
Also, OSSAP-SDGs as part of the moves to help reduce maternal and child mortality ratio in Nigeria in conjunction with Coca Cola and Medshare International launched the Safe Birth Initiative designed to support 10 selected tertiary level hospitals in the country with state of the art life-saving medical equipment and technical capacity building.