The Gombe State government said it would spend the sum of N3.5 billion for the construction and renovation of general hospitals in Akko and Kaltungo Local Government Areas of the state.
The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Julius Ishaya Lepes, disclosed this to newsmen at the end of the Executive Council meeting, presided over by Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya.
He said the council approved the sum of N1.8 million for the construction of a brand new general hospital in Kumo town of Akko LGA, and equally approved N1.2 billlion for the renovation, remodelling and upgrade of the Kaltungo General Hospital.
Shedding light on the projects, the Commissioner for Housing and Transport, Idris Abdullahi Kwami said the construction of a new General Hospital in Kumo was as a result structural defects on the current structure due to poor and substandard work during construction of the hospital.
He explained that the renovation and remodelling of the Kaltungo General Hospital was to transform the health facility and make it a Special Referral Centre for people seeking quality medical services, especially those from from the southern part of the state and beyond.
He said the revitalisation of the two health facilities was in fulfillment of their campaign promise, “to upgrade at least one general hospital in each of the three senatorial districts of the state into special referral centres.”
According to him, the aim was to ease the burden of distant travelling on patients and their relatives to the state capital in order to seek for medical attention.
Idris Kwami stated that the construction of Kumo General Hospital is expected to be completed within 26 weeks while that of Kaltungo is to be delivered within 17 weeks.
