By Anan Geolengs
Alliance Hospital has commissioned its new paediatric healthcare centres designed to strengthen child and newborn care services.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Christopher Otabor, said the Centre will bridge the persistent gap in maternal and infant mortality rates across Nigeria.
He said the initiative is aimed at improving survival outcomes for mothers and children by expanding access to specialised, life-saving medical services for infants, children, and critically ill newborns.
The commissioned paediatric services include a comprehensive range of specialised units such as medical paediatrics, surgical paediatrics, emergency paediatrics, a special care baby unit, a neonatal intensive care unit, paediatric sickle cell care, and child health and wellness services.
The newly established paediatric and neonatal critical care centre was created to bridge the gap in specialist healthcare for newborns and critically ill children. He stressed that healthcare should be measured by lives saved rather than financial cost, noting that the facility would provide hope to distressed families.
Dr. Otabor said, “You cannot put money on healthcare, you cannot put money on human lives. What’s important is that we’re identifying a gap in the healthcare environment and we’re taking steps to meet that gap with a centre like this, we’ll be able to save a lot of children, we are going to be bringing hope and joy to many families.”
He said the private sector must take the lead in addressing Nigeria’s healthcare challenges, arguing that government resources alone are insufficient. He challenged doctors and investors to establish more specialist centres to expand access to quality healthcare.
“Let the private sector rise. Alliance Hospital alone cannot reduce the numbers, but we can set the pace and we can bring leadership, I want to challenge other doctors to put up their entrepreneurship cap and come into this space and open up centres like this.”
He added that building world-class specialist hospitals in Nigeria would save the country hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually on medical tourism. He noted that the hospital is already attracting international patients, with about half of its kidney transplant patients coming from outside Nigeria.
“We’ll be saving Nigeria hundreds of millions of dollars, about half of our kidney transplant patients now come from outside of Nigeria. They fly in with their donors, they do their kidney transplant and go back because it’s cheaper for them compared to if they were to do it in the West.”
He also noted that the shortage of neonatal intensive care beds has resulted in avoidable child deaths, as many parents are unable to access space for critically ill newborns. The new centre, he explained, is designed to expand emergency paediatric, neonatal intensive care and special care baby services.
“Mothers have called me before ,Doctor, do you have a space in your neonatal intensive care unit?’ And the answer has been nobody knows what happens to those children. Many of the mothers lose their children and just quietly go bury the children and lick their wounds.”
He further assured that despite the advanced nature of the facility, services would remain affordable. He disclosed that the hospital treated over 100,000 patients in the previous year, noting that the new centre is designed for high patient turnover to serve more children effectively.
“The cost will be affordable. So that will also increase the number of children that we’ll be able to take care of here. In the main branch of Alliance Hospital, we saw over 100,000 patients last year alone.”
Also speaking, the Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Manasseh Daniel Jatau, stressed that healthcare should not be left solely in the hands of medical professionals, but must be a collective responsibility of all citizens. He emphasized that everyone has a role to play in strengthening healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
“Health is too important to be left only in the hands of medical personnel alone.”
He highlighted the persistent inequality in healthcare access, particularly in underserved and hard-to-reach communities, and called for deliberate interventions to close this gap. Referring to the Inverse Care Law, he explained the imbalance in healthcare distribution.
“The Inverse Care Law simply says that where there is the greatest need for medical facilities, that is where you have the least supply.” He added, “Based on the Inverse Care Law in Nigeria and other developing countries, we have many who really need medical attention but lack quality care.”
The Deputy Governor also advocated for stronger collaboration among medical professionals, researchers, and institutions to develop indigenous vaccines and medicines using Nigeria’s abundant natural resources. He noted that local plants and herbs could be harnessed to reduce dependence on imported drugs and improve affordability.
“May I appeal to the Medical President to please collaborate, partner and support other professional bodies… to support all researchers to embark on the production of vaccines, drugs, food supplements from our natural plants, grasses, animals and other abundant natural resources that the Creator has blessed us with.”
He further expressed confidence that Nigeria has the capacity to produce its own medicines and vaccines, which would significantly reduce importation costs and improve access to healthcare services.
“If we are really serious, we can produce our own vaccines. As a customs officer, I know what the cost of importation is.” He added, “Imported medicaments, consumables and the rest are all products of local plants in their countries of origin.”
He criticized the large sums spent on medical tourism, arguing that such funds could instead be invested in building and equipping world-class healthcare facilities within the country.
“Honestly, the money that we use for medical tourism can establish the best hospitals in all the cities of this country, well equipped and well furnished.
“Take care of your staff, and they will render good service to your clients.” He added, “Take care of your staff, then they will take excellent care of your clients, who will in turn become your ambassadors.”
On his part, former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, encouraged Nigerians, particularly the private sector, to contribute to national development instead of relying solely on government. He noted that lasting progress requires citizens to take initiative and remain hopeful despite governance challenges.
Dr. Philip Shaibu said, “I want to encourage all of us, don’t wait for government. Forget that I’m in government, but don’t wait for government. It’s not everybody that is in government to serve humanity. Only very few are actually there to serve humanity… I encourage everybody not to lose hope.”
He lamented the poor maintenance of public healthcare facilities and equipment procured during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the country’s attitude towards government property must change to improve healthcare delivery.
