The 400-bed teaching hospital, commissioned on Friday, is designed to strengthen specialist healthcare delivery, improve medical education and address the shortage of health professionals in Borno State and the wider North-East region.
The facility features 13 specialist departments covering diagnostic services, medicine, surgery, emergency care, paediatrics, internal medicine and physiotherapy, among other areas.
It also includes a medical college complex, a students’ hostel, a 200-unit staff estate and an oxygen plant complex.
Hospital Equipped with Advanced Diagnostic Technology
The hospital is equipped with modern diagnostic machines intended to improve the detection and treatment of various medical conditions.
Its facilities include a 1.5-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, a 160-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner, three conventional X-ray machines and two mobile X-ray machines.
Other equipment includes three 4D ultrasound machines, a fluoroscopy system for real-time imaging and a digital mammography machine.
The investment is expected to bring advanced diagnostic services and specialist treatment closer to residents of Borno and neighbouring communities, potentially reducing the need to travel outside the state or country for certain medical procedures.
The hospital is also expected to serve patients from communities around the Lake Chad region while providing a training environment for medical students and healthcare professionals.
Facility to Strengthen Medical Training
Beyond patient care, the teaching hospital is expected to contribute to addressing healthcare workforce shortages by supporting the training of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
Its medical college complex and other training facilities are intended to strengthen medical education and help develop a skilled workforce for Borno State and the wider North-East.
The project forms part of the Zulum administration’s broader investment in healthcare infrastructure and human capital development.
Shettima Commissions Schools Alongside Hospital
During the visit, Shettima also commissioned the Yerwa Practice Mega Primary School, built by the Zulum administration, and another mega primary school delivered under the Kashim Shettima Free Education Programme.
The programme provides free education to orphans and vulnerable children, reflecting the administration’s emphasis on expanding access to basic education.
The projects combine investments in healthcare and education, two sectors considered central to the recovery and long-term development of Borno State.
Vice President Praises Zulum’s Development Vision
The Vice President commended Zulum, describing the projects as investments capable of standing the test of time.
Shettima said the lasting value of public office should be measured by the institutions established, infrastructure delivered and lives improved through public service.
“We shall be judged by what survives our time in office. The offices we held, the aides who surrounded us, and the length of our convoys will have surrendered their importance. What will endure are the institutions we built, the roads we built and the lives we improved through service,” he said.
He added that the teaching hospital and schools reflected Zulum’s commitment to making Borno’s recovery meaningful to residents who need medical treatment and children seeking access to education.
“The ultra-modern Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital and the school that dotted our landscape in Maiduguri and across the state give substance to his belief that Borno recovery must reach the patient awaiting treatment and the child sitting in a place in the classroom,” Shettima said.
The commissioning marks a major addition to Borno’s public healthcare infrastructure, with the hospital expected to support specialist treatment, medical training and improved access to diagnostic services.
