Reps push for specialised healthcare

By Christiana Ekpa

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has stressed the need for effective oversight of specialised healthcare institutions to ensure that Nigerians have access to high-quality, specialised healthcare services that cater to their diverse medical needs.
Abbas said this at a public hearing by the House Committee on Speciality Healthcare on a Bill for an Act to amend the Orthopaedic Hospitals Management Board to Provide for the establishment of the Orthopaedic Hospital Billiri, Gombe State.
Abbas said one of the core responsibilities of Parliament is to legislate in a way that benefits the public and that the hearing is an essential part of that process.
He said the Bill seeks to address the orthopaedic healthcare gap in the region by creating a facility that can offer specialised care to those in need.
He expressed commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery in Nigeria, with a focus on specialised institutions.
He said the Orthopaedic Hospital Billiri Bill presents several key merits in terms of addressing healthcare needs in Gombe State and, more broadly, Nigeria’s healthcare system.
This will enhance access to critical orthopaedic care, particularly in a region that needs sufficient specialised health services in order to remain resilient.
He said Orthopaedic issues are prevalent across Nigeria, particularly due to road accidents and other trauma-related injuries, making the establishment of such a facility a necessary step in addressing an underserved aspect of healthcare.
He said the bill’s provision to affiliate the new hospital with the Federal Teaching Hospital in Gombe offers a synergistic benefit by creating an educational partnership that can improve healthcare outcomes through training, research, and increased expertise in orthopaedics.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon Alex Egbona, said the Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the Orthopaedic Hospital Billiri, Gombe State under the control of the Orthopaedic Hospitals Management Board and affiliated to the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, to provide specialised orthopaedic treatment and medical services.