The CMD of NAUTH, Professor Ugboaja, in a move that keeps the medical institution in high focus had made a strategic visit with His Excellency, Alhaji Kashim Shettima GCON, the Vice President of Nigeria.
The visit is providential as the newly appointed Board Chairman by his presence with the dynamic CMD of NAUTH exemplified a team focused on delivering on the vision Professor Ugboaja had laid out for the hisputal to be the top-three university hospital, and have been on course to actualize it. It makes for a smoother journey considering the fact that the Vice President has the ear of his principal, the President of the Republic.
The visit at Aso Rock Villa gave the CMD Professor Ugboaja, the opportunity to reiterate before the Vice President how far NAUTH had come since he took the reign of leadership 2021, and how inspite of paucity of funds had managed to couple of strategic stakeholders to partner in making unprecedented transformational journey that had kept people marveled.
The essence of the NAUTH’s infrastructural development and investment human capital and equipment is to arrest the foreign exchange abuse that saw our people pressuring the reserve Nigeria could use to develop critical sectors if there is an alternative health delivery institution that can address the problems for far less resources, was the message the CMD took to the Vice President. It is for these reasons that Professor Ugboaja highlighted NAUTH’s remarkable progress, including the expansion of its workforce by over 1,000 staff and the development of specialized medical complexes.
During the meeting, These improvements have significantly enhanced the hospital’s capacity to deliver quality healthcare services and medical education.
The CMD also briefed the Vice President on several upcoming milestones, including the anniversary celebration, the hosting of the Committee of CMDs meeting, and the commissioning of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration Building Complex.
Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori, the new Board Chairman, reinforced the board’s commitment to supporting NAUTH’s vision of becoming a global healthcare leader, emphasizing the crucial role of government support and strategic partnerships in achieving this goal.
Vice President Shettima demonstrated keen interest in NAUTH’s transformation agenda, particularly commending the institution’s comprehensive approach to healthcare delivery. He noted the impressive scale of completed and ongoing projects, including the 240-bed Trauma and Emergency Complex and the state-of-the-art Regional Radio-Diagnostic Center under construction.
The NAUTH leadership harped on Professor Muhammad Ali Pate’s quest to bring the necessary reform needed to promote Tinubu’s vision for Nigeria to make its health care system second to none. The Minister had graciously aligned NAUTH’s development plans with the national healthcare agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The discussion explored potential collaborations between the federal government and NAUTH, focusing on medical research advancement, specialist training, and healthcare technology adoption. The Vice President assured the NAUTH leadership of the federal government’s commitment to supporting the institution’s development initiatives.
This strategic engagement marks a pivotal moment in NAUTH’s development trajectory, positioning the institution for unprecedented growth. The synergistic leadership of Prof. Ugboaja and Hon. Dalori, combined with federal government support, positions NAUTH to emerge as a center of excellence in healthcare delivery across West Africa.
While appluads had been defeaning since Professor Ugboaja had captured the imagination of the medical constituency by moving the entire hospital operations to the permanent site, he had not rested. Professor Ugboaja had soared like the eagle to the edge of the sky as he searched for more resources to advance the status of NAUTH in the comity of health care delivery institutions.