Hospital : Atiku, Saudi German Hospital in Joint Venture to Establish Hospital, Referral Centre

The former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has partnered with the management of Saudi German Hospital, Dubai to establish a referral centre and also a 100-bed hospital in Abuja.

This was issued in a statement by Atiku Spokesman, Paul Ibeh on Tuesday in Abuja. According to the statement, it is in his continued quest to diversifying his businesses and creating more jobs for Nigerians.

Atiku Abubakar made the disclosure yesterday after a meeting with a delegation of the management of Saudi German Hospital, led by Dr. Rajeev Kaushal.

"My meeting with the delegation of the management of Saudi German Hospital led by Dr. Rajeev Kaushal over joint partnership with our company, West Africa Health-Care Company Ltd for the establishment of a 100-bed hospital in Abuja, was very fruitful.

''The joint venture that we have embarked upon promises to break new grounds in medical services delivery in Nigeria,

Atiku said that apart from creating much-needed medical and support services jobs, the venture would also facilitate the transfer of skills to Nigerians.

Also speaking, Dr. Kaushal lamented the high fatality rate from non-communicable diseases in Nigeria, saying that figures from World Health Organisation indicates that over 72,000 cancer patients die annually in the country due to lack of access to quality diagnosis and treatment.

He stressed that the proposed 100-bed hospital will not only be equipped with world class facilities for the provision of safe and quality healthcare services but would also help curb the spate of medical tourism among Nigerians.

''The hospital we are proposing to build in collaboration with West Africa Health-Care Company Ltd being promoted by His Excellency Atiku Abubakar will have all the facilities needed for comprehensive treatment of most non-communicable diseases, especially cancer.

"This initiative will help curb medical tourism among Nigerians, which is very high at the moment. Though it is not possible to fully stop Nigerians from embarking on medical trips abroad, but we can reduce the trend with the establishment of a world class hospital, equipped with modern health facilities for diagnosis and treatment," he added.

Dr. Kaushal urged Nigerians to maintain a healthy life style by eating balanced diet, exercising regularly, avoiding red meat and tobacco so as to prevent the possibility of having cancer.

Semira Dikbas, International Patient Affairs Advisor, Referral Centre said that the first step in this joint initiative between Atiku Abubakar and Saudi German Hospital is in the final stages and would soon be commissioned.

The Referral Centre, she said, would be fully equipped to carry out Cancer diagnosis and, other health examinations.

The proposed Referral Center will act as a bridge between Nigerians and the Saudi German Hospital located in Dubai where there will be monthly visits of specialized doctors from Dubai and also occasional health check up programmes.

''Once the patient is presented at the center, an initial diagnosis will be done and those who require further medical management will be referred to the Dubai Hospital.

''All the required logistics starting from Visa,Flight Booking, Hotel Accommodation and all other travelling concerns of the patient will be taken care of by a dedicated team from the hospital located at Dubai.

Atiku is a leading Nigerian politician and businessman with investments cutting across Food & Beverages, Logistics, Media, Banking, Agriculture, Fast Food and now Medical Services.

Atiku employs over 50,000 people directly and 250,000 indirectly through his businesses, and is the second largest employer of labour in Adamawa State after the State Government.