Gbaja: New Aso Rock hospital is world-class

Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president, says the new hospital in the presidential villa is of world-class standard.

Gbajabiamila spoke on Monday after touring the facility said to be worth N21 billion.

In 2017, the Aso Rock clinic did not have paracetamol or cotton wool and could not adequately cater to the president or his family, despite huge budgetary allocations.

A proper hospital building project commenced in November 2021 after a groundbreaking ceremony by Ibrahim Gambari, immediate-past chief of staff.

The hospital is an extension of the existing medical centre in the presidential villa.

The former speaker of the house of representatives said he was impressed by the state-of-the-art equipment installed in the hospital.

“This is a clinic like anywhere in the world, you will find, the standard is very high. The equipment is world class. From my understanding, there’s some equipment that you wouldn’t even find in too many places all over the world,” he said.

“So as far as clinics go, in terms of equipment, in terms of what they can do, in terms of, I mean, I’ve just been lectured about kidney transplant now from one of the best.

“There’s a Cath lab that is world class and so many other things. There’s an equipment they call C-ARM. This gladdens my heart that at least when we were appropriating money in the house of representatives as speaker, I can see where the money has gone to.

“So it is for them to dot the I’s and cross the T’s and put finishing touches and I think we’ll be proud to say that we have a clinic of international standard like this one.”

Jane Ifechukwu, chair of the clinical services of the state house, said they are only waiting for a directive to commence operations.

The hospital boasts of a specialised X-ray suite equipped with a digital X-ray machine and a diagnostic suite that has MRI, CT scans, as well as an endoscopy facility.

It also has a “healing garden” for recovering patients.