The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has received laboratory equipment containing 36,000 blood collection tubes from the KGDN Technology Limited to boost health services in the nation’s capital.
A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Anthony Ogunleye, said KGDN donated the kits in partnership with VWR International, a United States-based firm.
Minister of the FCT Muhammad Bello received the equipment on Wednesday in his office in company with other top government functionaries.
Bello commended the donor for supporting the FCTA to improve health care delivery in the FCT.
In medical parlance, the kits are known as ‘vacutainer tubes.’
The minister said the equipment would go a long way in assisting the FCTA’s health system.
“This is something for which the city of Abuja is very happy, and we will continue to remember this gesture. I hope you continue to partner with our experts in the Health Services Secretariat so that we all jointly improve health facilities for the city and beyond”.
The minister also lauded the firm for its support for the FCTA in the fight against COVID-19.
In his remarks, Chairman KGDN Technologies Ltd, Ben Nkechika, a doctor, appreciated the minister and the FCT health workforce’s commitment to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nkechika said of the tubes: “These bottles are specially designed to contain blood and transport blood to laboratories simply without spillage. So, it’s called vacutainer. It’s a specialized kind of blood collection bottle. It’s not what you use in any regular lab. It’s used in specialized labs”.
The Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat at the FCTA, Abubakar Tafida, a doctor, commended the group for the donation.
He said healthcare was everybody’s business and urged other organisations to emulate the donor by supporting the FCTA’s efforts at providing qualitative and affordable healthcare in the FCT.
Tafida assured that the vacutainers would be deployed to FCTA health facilities “where they are important in safely collecting blood samples from patients to avoid transmitting contagious diseases between infected and healthy individuals”.
The donation came days after the FCTA regained sole management of the Garki District Hospital.
The government had 15 years concession agreement with Nisa Medical Group, owners of Nisa Premier Hospital, which made the facility run on a public-private partnership (PPP).
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org