Bill to establish FMC Gombe scales second reading at Senate
By Matthew ELOYI
A bill to establish the Federal Medical Centre Deba, Gombe State scaled second reading at the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill seeks to establish a medical centre that will provide facilities for diagnosis, preventive, curative and rehabilitative service in medical treatment as well as provide medical training.
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The bill, when passed, will however require over N1 billion be set up.
The passage of the bill was sequel to a debate on its objectives, led by the sponsor, Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central).
In his presentation, Goje said the legislation is in response to the cries of his constituents, women and children who are in dire need of well-equipped healthcare centers.
He said the move to establish the FMC was informed by the need to bridge the existing gap between primary, secondary healthcare and tertiary healthcare delivery in Gombe State and Nigeria as a whole.
“The factors include accessibility to medical facilities, affordability of Medicare, as well as inadequate medical personnel at primary and secondary healthcare levels.
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“Communicable diseases have continued to ravage many Nigerian communities due to the distance between the communities and tertiary healthcare institutions. Patients cannot access specialist hospitals where their ailments can be properly diagnosed and adequate treatment given.
“This unfortunate situation has also compounded the challenge of maternal and infant mortality. Densely populated urban and rural communities are worst hit. Their poor economic situation makes resort to patronizing private hospitals near impossible,” he said.
