NEDC pledges support for UMTH cancer centre

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has committed to assisting the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) in repairing its cancer treatment machines, which were severely damaged by recent flooding in Maiduguri, Borno State. During a visit to assess the damage at the hospital and the Alau Dam, NEDC Managing Director/CEO, Goni Mohammed Alkali, expressed […]

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has committed to assisting the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) in repairing its cancer treatment machines, which were severely damaged by recent flooding in Maiduguri, Borno State.

During a visit to assess the damage at the hospital and the Alau Dam, NEDC Managing Director/CEO, Goni Mohammed Alkali, expressed the commission’s readiness to evaluate the situation and provide the necessary support.

UMTH’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, highlighted the significance of the hospital’s cancer centre, which had been offering affordable, high-quality services to patients from Nigeria and neighbouring African countries such as Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Sierra Leone.

However, the flood has set the hospital’s progress back by over 20 years.

• Timber operator, 2 others nabbed for supplying logistics to bandits
• Weed, vandals threaten federal secretariat in Benue

“Our state-of-the-art cancer centre, which was our pride, now faces extensive damage. The MRAP machines, originally purchased for N1.6 billion, now require N2 to N3 billion for repairs. Equipment we acquired for N1.3 billion now costs N6 billion,” Prof. Ahidjo said.

During the visit to Alau Dam, Alkali revealed that the NEDC had already awarded a N1.3 billion contract to address some of the issues that contributed to the flooding.