The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has directed the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat to immediately open the 135-bed Karu General Hospital to public use.
Bello gave the order when he and the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr Babatope Ajaikaye, inspected the health facility at Karu, a suburb of Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that the hospital was expected to take off enormous pressure from the Asokoro District, Nyanya and Maitama District Hospitals.
The minister noted that the Karu hospital was initially a 225-bed facility built by the FCT Administration with 40 per cent leased to Primus Super Specialty Hospital (an Indian Hospital) for management.
He further directed that the hospital should immediately commence General Out-Patient (GOP) and Antenatal services.
Besides, Bello ordered that the mortuary be opened to the public, in addition to the Behavioural Medicine Unit that had since been operational in the hospital.
He also paid an unscheduled visit to the Zuba Hospital where he instructed that the medical facility should commence operation by May 1.
The Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretariat, Mrs Alice Odey-Achu, and the Medical Director of the Karu General Hospital, Dr Marcus Mamman, conducted the minister round the facilities.
Odey-Achu assured that the secretariat was ready to commence operation on the appointed date at the Zuba General Hospital.
She reiterated that everything needed to enable the hospital commence services is already on ground, assuring that they were ready to start operations immediately. (NAN)