Maternal, child healthcare clinic in Abaji to begin operations in Nov.

President of the Brethren in Nigeria, (a Religious organisation), Rev. Joel Billi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the side line of the inauguration and handover of the clinic to Abaji Community, FCT.

Billi also said that a medical committee set up by the church had begun the process of recruiting medical personnel.

“We wrote a proposal to the Japanese Embassy requesting for sponsorship of the project to build the healthcare facility. The Japanese Government made available about 16 million naira for the project from the inception, minus staffing.

“Medical personnel would be recruited; we have plans to recruit medical doctors, but we are going to make use of visiting doctors come from time to time,” he said.

He said that by next week, recruitment will start and by the first week of November, the hospital would have taken off completely, as equipment provided would be put in place to ensure the smooth running of the hospital.

He further said that a committee comprising the church, the community and the local government would be set up to ensure proper and efficient management of the facility.

He expressed gratitude to the Japanese Government for its contributions to grassroots projects in the country.

The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Sadanobu Kusaoke, who spoke earlier, reiterated that the Japanese Government had supported 152 projects with $10.4 million since 1998 in various sectors in the country.

Kusaoke was represented by the Medical Attache of the Japanese embassy, Mr Yoshiharu Furuichi.

The envoy said “promoting resilient health system” was one of Japan’s priority areas identified at the at sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development.

“In the project for the construction of Gbogbodo Maternal and Child Health Centre, we are handing over a medical centre, a block of toilets and bathrooms, several medical equipment and a borehole.

“I believe that these provisions will contribute to better access to medical services and hygienic water supply in Abaji,” he said.

The projects are being implemented under the Japanese Government’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.

The project is designed to provide financial grant assistance to non-profit organisations and local government that implement development projects at the grass-roots level in the country.