NOWA President commissions sickbay…tasks staff on proper maintenance of facility
Wife of the Chief of Naval Staff and President of the Naval Officers’ Wives Association (NOWA), Hajia Nana Gambo, has commissioned a newly-remodeled navy Sickbay in Lagos.
Hajia Gambo who also donated a resuscitaire, two patient monitors, four beds, bedside lockers, two bedside fridges and two television sets, charged the staff concerned on adequate maintenance of the facility, for the continued provision of medical care for the personal and their families.
“I want to use this opportunity to commend the efforts of the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Yakubu Wambai, and all the personnel who have directly or indirectly contributed to the actualization of this project.
“Furthermore, I want to plead with those charged with the maintenance and administration of this facility, to kindly ensure this facility is judiciously and efficiently used to fulfill its object without bias or favouritism,” the NOWA President said.
She used the opportunity to appreciate the navy for attaching great importance to healthcare needs of its personnel by prioritising medical facility in the face of several demands.
Her words: “I observe with deep satisfaction that despite competing demands on limited resources, the Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (Admiralty Medal) my ever supportive husband, has made concrete efforts at addressing the medical challenges in the Service. What we are witnessing today is a reflection of these efforts.”
Earlier in his welcome address, Rear Admiral Wambai commended NOWA for always expressing concern for personnel health needs, a reason for remodeling the facility, which includes a children’s ward, a maternity extension as well as for the navy personnel.
He said: “One group which has constantly shown they mean well for the NN medical facilities and want them to be better than it is by contributing their quota is the Naval Officers’ Wives Association.
“The Sickbay’s primary mandate is to ensure that personnel and their families’ health care needs are adequately catered for. It is our dream and desires to provide the best health care services possible in the country and abroad.”
In his own remarks, the Commander, Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo Lagos, Captain Ahmadu Shehu Mohammed, thanked the NOWA president for her personal touch in coming to commission the facility.
He disclosed that the navy has built several medical facilities such as this across the country, to provide medical care for personnel.
His words: “In pursuit of the provision of medical services for personnel, the Nigerian Navy has built several medical facilities in different locations across the country. But, as the Service continues to expand, the need for more social amenities and upgrade of some medical facilities also continue to persist. Hence, efforts are being constantly made to meet this demand within the limits of available resources.”
He expressed satisfaction for seeing the accomplishment of the project, which he said had been on in the last two years.
Speaking on needs that the facility would meet, the commander said: “It is hoped that the coming on stream of this project at Nigerian Navy Sickbay Okokomaiko will further enhance the provision of medical service to personnel of the Nigerian Navy in particular and Nigerian citizens in general.”
