By Mohammed Lawal
Zaria (Kaduna State) – Dr Abbas Tajuddeen (APC- Zaria Federal Constituency) has donated a Primary Healthcare Centre to Kwarbai community in Zaria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the health facility was equipped with beds, drugs, health personnel, doctor’s residence, an ambulance and a motorised solar borehole.
NAN also reports that the healthcare centre would be run by the National TB and Tuberculoses Training Centre (NTBLTC), Saye, Zaria in collaboration with Kaduna State Government (KDSG) and the lawmaker.
Speaking at the formal handing-over of the facility to the management of NTBLTC on Sunday, Tajuddeen said the gesture was meant to enhance community access to healthcare services.
The lawmaker promised to continue to assist his constituents in the areas of education, health, sports, religion and all other spheres of life.
Tajuddeen lamented that the facility had earlier been handed-over to Zaria Local Government Council but the council was unable to adequately run the place.
According to him, this is what influenced his decision to seek for assistance and collaboration with LTC and KDSG to enable Kwarbai community maximally benefit from the facility.
Tajuddeen observed that there was no need for politicians to bring projects that would not benefit the electorate and stand the risk of being abandoned.
“I always pray, if a project will not be of benefit to my people, I better leave it, because there is no need for citing a project just for political reasons.
“Some of our politicians do sponsor projects, commission and organise ceremonies for inauguration but after sometimes the place will be abandoned.
“This is indeed a waste of public fund, this is one of the reasons that we strive hard to ensure that this facility extend the needed healthcare services to Kwarbai community,” he said.
In his speech, the Principal of the NTBLTC, Dr Labaran Shehu, said it was not the first community healthcare facility being run by the Centre.
“This is the third facility we are going to be running in order to extend a hand of friendship to the neighbouring communities.
“The main duty of our centre is treatment of Tuberculoses, Leprosy and HIV/AIDS, but as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari that the hospital shouldn’t restrict itself to that alone, it should expand.
“That’s why we extend services to some hospitals close to us including our main clinic at Saye, a community healthcare at Magume and now Kwarbai after following due processes and got approval from the Federal Government,”. he said.
Shehu said the centre would provide the new healthcare facility with health personnel who would be working 12 hours from morning to sunset.
“However, we have a brand new ambulance courtesy of the member, in case of anything, patients can be referred to our main clinic at Saye or they can be taken to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Shika or Wusasa.
“This facility will be providing observation and treatment of malaria, typhoid and antenatal care among others so as to give the surrounding communities the needed health assistance.
“Apart from that, Tuberculoses and HIV drugs will be supplied to the facility, so that people from this community need not to go to Saye for treatment of Tuberculoses and HIV,” he assured.
