Kano’s multi-billion naira hospital yet to be put to use

In Kano State, there are two huge hospital projects that have not been effectively utilised. They are: Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital and Professor Hafsat Ganduje Ultra-modern Cancer Centre. Records show that in 2007, the then Kano State governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, laid the foundation of a new specialist hospital worth N1.5 billion in Giginyu ward. […]

In Kano State, there are two huge hospital projects that have not been effectively utilised. They are: Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital and Professor Hafsat Ganduje Ultra-modern Cancer Centre.

Records show that in 2007, the then Kano State governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, laid the foundation of a new specialist hospital worth N1.5 billion in Giginyu ward. The proposed hospital was located at a space that was formerly occupied by the Nigeria Police mounted troop. It was also gathered that the hospital was to be called Maryam Shekarau Specialist Hospital, named after his late mother. However, Shekarau left the government without completing the hospital. It was left at 35 per cent to 40 per cent completion level. When Kwankwaso came to power, he did not do anything to complete the project.

However, during the administration of Governor Umar Ganduje, the hospital was eventually completed in 2017, ten years after.

The Giginyu Specialist Hospital was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari, whom it was named after instead of the initial name of the mother of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau.

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Prior to the official commissioning of the hospital, the Kano State Government had announced the procurement of equipment worth N3 billion for installation.

The state government had also announced that it inherited a paediatric hospital located on Zoo Road in Kano metropolis, which the administration of Ganduje completed and opened for use to the public.

The state government later signed into law, the Kano State Ultramodern Specialist Hospitals Bill, 2018 which gave legal backing to the establishment of two specialist hospitals in the state, which include the Giginyu hospital and the paediatric hospital. The bill was signed into law during the state’s Executive Council Meeting, which took place at the Government House.

These two projects were seen as very vital instruments that would reduce medical tourism and other trips that cost the state and individuals huge amounts of money. It was a thing of joy for the people of Giginyu community and Nassarawa Local Government Area, where these two projects were cited. 

One of the residents of the area, Zahairu Mohammed, said citing the two projects in the area was a welcome development, adding that it would change their social status. He added that a new road that leads to the hospital have been constructed, but it is unfortunate that the two facilities were yet to be functional.

“This was a project started by the Malam Ibrahim Shekarau administration but was abandoned. In 2011 when Kwankwaso came, he didn’t touch it. It was during the Ganduje administration that the hospital project was reviewed and completed to a state-of-the-art facility that would provide comprehensive health care services.

“The facility was said to have been equipped with modern operation theatres, specialised gynecology theatres, labour rooms, an intensive care unit, a trauma centre, paediatric services, a special baby care unit, dental and eye clinics and a 24-hour in-house pharmacy,” he revealed.

Residents who spoke with our correspondent said they were happy that the hospital was located in their area, but many of them expressed dismay at the way and manner it has been neglected over the years.

Malama Hajara Kabir, a mother of three and civil servant who incidentally has her file at the Giginyu Specialist Hospital under the Kano State Contributory Health Care Management Agency (KSCHMA), said things were going well for many civil servants like her until the hospital was locked down all of a sudden, forcing them to look for other alternatives.

“It was closer to us; and the services were better. We don’t know what happened and the hospital was closed down. We had to look elsewhere for services that are less than what we were getting at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital,” she said.

Weekend Trust reports that despite the fact that the hospital is no longer functional, residents are benefiting from the new road constructed as a result of its establishment. Properties along the area have also appreciated as small-scale businesses began to spring up. 

Reports have shown that the hospital, which was commissioned in 2017, made headlines in 2019 for conducting a groundbreaking brain surgery.

The then Kano State Government gave out concession of the facility to a private health care company named Northfield Health Services to on a public-private-partnership (PPP) basis, but shortly thereafter, the government sacked the company and closed down the hospital for undisclosed reasons.

However, the company was said to have gone to court and the hospital remained closed, only to be briefly reopened and used as a COVID-19 isolation centre during the global pandemic. It remained closed until recently when the current Kano State Government opened it to accommodate released victims of the #EndBadGovernance protest.

The second multi-billion hospital project abandoned is the state-of-the-art Kano Cancer Treatment Centre (KCTC). The project was meant to bridge the infrastructural gap in public health institutions and said to be the best in Africa, in terms of size and expertise. It is also said to be bigger than the Australian Peter Mac Centre, after which it is modelled.

The centre is also located within the premises of the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, Giginyu in Nassarawa Local Government Area. It was believed that when operational, it will reduce deaths from cancer. It is also expected to reduce the burden of cancer treatment and create at least 150 jobs for medical and allied professionals.

Named after the wife of the then governor, Professor Hafsat Ganduje, the cancer centre was completed and commissioned by former President Buhari in February 2023.

But since the commissioning of the two-story cancer centre, it is still under lock and key.

Efforts to get the reaction of the commissioner for health on the matter were not successful, but credible sources in the Kano State Ministry of Health revealed that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had kick-started the process of reopening the hospitals. As a result of that, he reconstituted the new board responsible for the running of the hospitals. It was also gathered that the board assessed the situation and reached out to Northfield Health Services for discussion, with a view to reaching an out-of-court settlement.

“Discussions are currently ongoing. The executive governor and the commissioner for health have given the board their full commitment and cooperation to ensure a successful reopening of the hospitals, as well as re-equip and renovate it along with all the health facilities in the state for the benefit of the people,” our source revealed.

The source said the hospital would soon be up and running, but added that the ongoing litigation inherited from the previous government would be addressed first.

A private medical practitioner in the state, Dr Usman Fari, said the establishment of the medical facilities was one of the best policies of the Kano State Government, adding that it would address the issue of medical tourism, not only in the state but in the country in general.

Another medical practitioner, Dr Bello Garba, told Weekend Trust that no matter the situation, the two hospitals would eventually serve their purpose in the state.