President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday inaugurated the N21 billion Presidential Wing of the State House Medical Centre with the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, where she declared that the facility would halt the need for the presidents and their family members to seek medical treatment abroad.
The wife of the president, who joined other dignitaries for the commissioning ceremony of the facility situated in the premises of Presidential Villa, Abuja, revealed that she came of with the idea of the Wing six years ago, following the extensive stay of her husband abroad for medical treatment.
She said now that the facility is in place, Nigerian Presidents and their family members would no longer need to go abroad for treatment but may only fly medical experts to assist their colleagues in the country.
At the brief inauguration, the First Lady who accompanied her husband to the event noted that the facility would put a halt to the need for the president and his family members to always jet out of the country to seek medical help.
“I’m quite happy, feeling fulfilled. Though we are leaving but all the same, we thank God the project has come to reality. I have opted for it six years now. I initiated this project six years ago when my husband spent three months abroad, consecutively, 90 days. And it shouldn’t be because we have all the experts in Nigeria. We only need a good platform.
“The hospital that is supposed to serve the First Family is serving like 35,000 people which is quite much. That’s why I insisted we should have a VIP Wing within the proximity of the presidential villa.”
On whether the medical centre would now put a halt to the incessant travel abroad by Nigerian leaders for treatment, she said: “This one is for the health and wellness of the First Family. They don’t need to go abroad now. They only need to, may be, fly in experts to help our people. You know.
“So, no need for any leader to spend months and months abroad because of health care.”
