Speaking on the occasion, President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by the Vice President Namadi Sambo, reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing world class healthcare services to Nigerians.
He said that the federal government would continue to ensure adequate funding; provision of modern facilities and well trained personnel; ensuring conducive environment for healthcare workers, as well as institution of people oriented policies.
He said, “Providing modern healthcare infrastructure such as this Trauma Centre and others is a cardinal objective of our Transformation Agenda, as prioritized under the National Strategic Health Development Plan.”
He added that the trauma centre functions optimally when its component units work together, and therefore charged all healthcare workers, particularly those that would be assigned to the Centre to work in unity.
He added that “as health personnel, you are all integral to the delivery of the comprehensive care that would be needed by distressed patients.”
Speaking on the Ebola virus disease outbreak, the President appealed to Nigerians not to panic and to take the highest possible care in hygiene and contact by adhering to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of health.
He said, “We have put measures and facilities in place, for detection and management and are working in concert with the international community to stem its spread. We must remain at high alert.”
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the Centre was one of many projects contained in the Federal Government’s strategic plan aimed at providing, efficient, cost effective and timely healthcare services to Nigerians.
He said the Centre would handle all forms of trauma, ranging from falls, fires, accidents, natural or man-made disasters, including terrorist activities.
Chairman of the National Hospital Board, Dr. Tony Okam, said that the Centre remained the first of its kind in the country.
He also said that the Centre was a hospital within a hospital, with state of the art healthcare facilities, a well trained personnel and a helipad, to mention but a few.
He said, “Trauma Centres are critical components of a nation’s healthcare delivery system. They provide resources and equipment to deliver the full range of specialist care needed by severely injured patients, and also maintain coordination with other facilities where the need for complementary expertise may be indicated.
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