By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Alliance Hospital has inaugurated a $400,000 state-of-the-art paediatrics centre in Abuja to strengthen specialised healthcare for children and newborns and help reduce Nigeria’s high maternal and infant mortality rates.

The multi-specialist hospital unveiled the facility on Thursday, describing it as a major investment aimed at expanding access to life-saving neonatal and paediatric services.

Speaking at the inauguration, the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director, Dr. Chris Otabor, said the centre was established to bridge critical gaps in child healthcare and improve survival outcomes for mothers and newborns.

He expressed confidence that the facility would provide timely interventions for critically ill infants requiring advanced medical care, including neonatal intensive care services.

“We identified a huge gap in paediatric healthcare, and we decided to provide a solution rather than continue to lament the challenges. This centre will save the lives of many children and mothers,” Otabor said.

He recalled occasions when hospitals contacted Alliance Hospital in search of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) space due to inadequate facilities elsewhere, describing the situation as evidence of the urgent need for more specialised paediatric centres across the country.

“There were times colleagues called to ask whether we had ventilators, incubators or available space for newborns in critical condition, and unfortunately we had no capacity. Only God knows what became of some of those children. Today, this facility offers hope and relief,” he added.

Otabor noted that existing paediatric facilities remain inadequate to meet Nigeria’s growing healthcare needs and urged governments, private investors and medical practitioners to invest more in specialised healthcare infrastructure.

He stressed that the country could no longer rely solely on government intervention, pointing to countries such as India, where private healthcare institutions play a significant role in delivering quality medical services.

The hospital chief also called for measures to curb medical tourism and the migration of healthcare professionals, insisting that Nigeria has the expertise and capacity to become a destination for quality healthcare.

According to him, Alliance Hospital treated more than 60,000 patients from within and outside Nigeria in the past year, helping to conserve foreign exchange while attracting medical clients from abroad.

The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Dr. Manasseh Daniel Jatau, who attended the event as Special Guest of Honour, described the new facility as another milestone in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system.

He commended Alliance Hospital for investing in specialised medical care and urged other private healthcare providers to establish similar life-saving facilities.

Jatau said improving healthcare delivery requires collaboration among governments, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders.

“Health is too important to be left to medical personnel and government alone. Stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies, should collaborate, harness our abundant natural resources and invest in research that will produce medicines and medical materials locally,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Philip Shaibu, praised the hospital for complementing government efforts in the health sector.

Shaibu urged more private organisations to invest in quality healthcare infrastructure to improve access to specialised medical services across the country.

Other dignitaries at the inauguration included Professor Titus Ibekwe of the University of Abuja, Dr. Kelechi Okonta, consultants, surgeons, neurologists, academics and other stakeholders in the medical sector.

Guests later toured the newly commissioned paediatrics centre, which the hospital said was built and equipped at a cost of about $400,000.