The Maimuna & Usman Yahaya Foundation has launched a N45-million hospital built to cater for the health needs of the people of Ankpa Local Government Area, Kogi State, and other neighbouring communities.

The 30-bed capacity hospital known as Maimuna & Usman Yahaya Foundation Hospital, is fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and would be manned by two medical doctors, four nurses and a matron.

Our correspondent, who was conducted round the facility reports that the hospital comprises male ward, female ward, private rooms, consulting rooms, labour ward, laboratory, theatre and stabilisation room.

Speaking recently during the inauguration of the hospital, a philanthropist and founder of the hospital, Alhaji Abubakar Usman Yahaya said the health facility was built in honor of his parents and to also enhance community wellbeing through rendering of basic health services.

“As for Maimuna & Usman Yahaya Foundation Hospital, it is a deliberate act by the offspring of Alhaji Usman Yahaya and Hajiya Maimuna Usman to build a hospital that will serve as a stimulant that will attract blessings to them even after they are no more.

“About two weeks ago, I informed my mother that we will be commissioning the hospital but as Allah would have it, she passed on before the commissioning. My joy is that she saw it before her death and she was very happy about it.

“The foundation is to carry out activities anywhere in the world. Let it not be that it is only the West-Europeans and Americans- that will be coming to render aid to the black people. Let it be that there is something we too can contribute to the society.

“We want the rest of the world to know that black people can help in rendering basic services and humanitarian support to themselves.

According to him, the hospital was established to ensure that people in the area were able to access quality healthcare at affordable rates.

“It is a community based hospital that will be rendering health services at a discounted low rates. Not just low rates but we should be able to provide qualified medical personnel that would offer effective health services to the people so that maternal and neonatal mortalities would be reduced.

“We have taken cognisance of the high rates of health charges in most of the private hospitals and therefore, this would serve as alternative source for the people.

“Anybody who comes around will get assistance. We have cautioned the staff to make sure that no patient is turned down on the basis of financial commitment. Treatment should be given first.

North Central Trust reports that the founder offered a three-day free medical outreaches for Ankpa community as part of activities marking the unveiling of the new hospital.

He said N1 million naira-worth of assorted drugs were procured to be given out free to the people during the outreach.

Dr Blessed Osberf, who was one the doctors that handled the medical outreach, said people were screened and given free drugs for ailments such as malaria, yellow fever, ulcer and hypertension, amongst others.

A beneficiary, Hajiya Jummai Musa, who was screened for ulcer and given free drugs, commended the gesture which she described as first of its kind in the area.

The Onu (paramount ruler) of Ankpa, Alhaji Abdulmalik Abubakar commended the founder for identifying with the downtrodden.

“If every soul in this country will remember to give back to the society like he did, the gap between the rich and the poor will be closed”, he said.