Vice-President Kashim Shettima has commissioned the 400-bed Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital in Maiduguri, as Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum intensifies efforts to reduce medical tourism and expand access to specialised healthcare.
The hospital, equipped with advanced diagnostic technology and specialist medical facilities, is expected to reduce the need for residents of Borno and neighbouring communities to travel outside the state for complex medical investigations and treatment.
Shettima commissioned the facility on Friday alongside other projects delivered by the Zulum administration, including major investments in the education sector.
The teaching hospital integrates specialist healthcare services with medical education and professional training, positioning it as a major institution for improving healthcare delivery in Borno State and the wider North-east.
Its diagnostic equipment includes a 1.5-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, a 160-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner, three conventional and two mobile X-ray machines, three 4D ultrasound machines, a fluoroscopy system and digital mammography equipment.
The facility also has 13 specialist departments covering diagnostic services, surgery, emergency care, paediatrics, internal medicine and physiotherapy, among other areas.
Supporting infrastructure comprises a medical college complex, a students’ hostel, a 200-unit staff estate and an oxygen plant complex to strengthen patient care, medical education and healthcare delivery.
Beyond serving Borno residents, the hospital is expected to provide specialised medical services to neighbouring communities and populations across the Lake Chad region, particularly underserved groups with limited access to advanced healthcare.
It is also expected to strengthen the training of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, helping to address manpower shortages that have constrained healthcare delivery across the North-east.
Speaking at the commissioning, Shettima commended Zulum for investing in institutions capable of delivering lasting benefits, particularly in healthcare and education.
He said the true measure of public service was the enduring impact of institutions established, infrastructure delivered and lives improved, rather than the privileges associated with political office.
“We shall be judged by what survives our time in office, the offices we held, the aides who surrounded us, and the length of our convoys will have surrendered their importance. What will endure are the institutions we built, the roads we built and the lives we improved through service,” the Vice-President said.
Shettima also praised the governor’s commitment to rebuilding Borno through investments that directly improve people’s access to essential public services.
He said the teaching hospital and schools established across the state demonstrated Zulum’s conviction that recovery must translate into tangible improvements in healthcare and education.
“The ultra-modern Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital and the school that dotted our landscape in Maiduguri and across the state give substance to his belief that Borno recovery must reach the patient awaiting treatment and the child sitting in a place in the classroom,” he added.
In the education sector, the Vice-President commissioned Yerwa Practice Mega Primary School, constructed by the Zulum administration, as well as another mega primary school delivered under the Kashim Shettima Free Education Programme.
The programme provides free education for orphans and vulnerable children, reflecting continuing efforts to improve educational access among disadvantaged groups.
The projects form part of Borno State’s broader post-conflict recovery strategy, which prioritises investments in critical public infrastructure and essential services following years of insurgency.
With advanced diagnostic equipment, specialist treatment facilities and medical training integrated into one institution, the new teaching hospital is expected to strengthen healthcare capacity, reduce the need for medical travel and improve access to quality treatment across Borno and neighbouring areas.
