Pfizer starts work on $30m hospital in Kano

Pfizer starts work on $30m hospital in Kano

Multinational drugs firm, Pfizer Incorporated, has commenced
work on the establishment of a $30 million medical facility at Dawakin Dudu, 15
kilometres from the Kano metropolis.

Ibrahim Shekarau, the state Governor, performed the foundation
laying ceremony of the medical facility at the occasion. He said that the
decision by Pfizer to establish the medical facility was in line with an out of
court settlement reached between the state government, victims of the 1996
Trovan drug test and Pfizer incorporated.

Spokesperson for Pfizer, Chris Loder, said the decision to
construct the medical facility underlines the commitment of the company towards
ensuring the wellbeing of Nigerians. “The construction of a new state of the
art medical centre in Kano is proof positive that Pfizer continues to fulfil
its commitments to Nigeria and its people,” he said. “This event allows the
company to further its work on what really matters – improving the healthcare
for all Nigerians.” The medical facility is to be equipped with a centre for
disease control, a public health laboratory, a diagnostic centre, a
micro-biological reference laboratory and residence staff quarters.

The Trovan war

Hundreds of people died or took ill in Kano after they were
administered by the drugs in a surreptitious test being conducted by the
company on the efficacy and effects of the drug. It was later sued by both the
state and federal government. The company reached an out-of-court settlement
with the two parties.

Recalling how he led a delegation to the negotiation talks with
Pfizer in the United Kingdom and America, Mr Shekarau expressed optimism that
the medical facility would achieve the desired objective of proper diagnosis
and treatment of chronic diseases afflicting children in Kano and neighbouring
states of Nigeria.

The chairman of the Healthcare Programme Trust, S.A.S Galadanci,
said that it is unfortunate that the less privileged ones in the society had
faced difficulties accessing treatment when faced with chronic ailments. He
explained that the facility would redress the problems associated with the
dearth of medical facilities and equipment at various healthcare centres in
Kano and neighbouring states by the time it becomes fully operational next
year.

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