10 years after demolishing Old structure, Dangote Foundation fails to complete Kano Hospital facility

By solacebase.com On Dec 2, 2023

Demolition, Dangote Foundation, Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, old structure — Building complex that houses laboratory, blood bank and other diagnostic units

Despite a budget of N7 billion and the Dangote Group’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, the project remains incomplete, triggering concerns about a prolonged wait for relief. As the hospital copes with the fallout, the regional manager of ADF cites a series of challenges, including a project upgrade, pandemic disruptions, and technical hurdles. Amid assurances of commitment and ongoing work, the narrative unfolds against a backdrop of healthcare needs and the echoes of unmet promises, leaving the community questioning the delayed resolution to a project that once promised to be a beacon of progress.

Africa’s largest in-patient facility, has become a saga of promises unfulfilled. What began as the demolition of a theater complex to pave the way for a cutting-edge Surgical and Diagnostic Centre (SDC) and the Hajiya Mariya Sunusi Ultra-Modern Maternity Hospital has left patients and caregivers in limbo, WikkiTimes can authoritatively report.

Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), an arm of the Dangote Group, demolished the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital theatre complex (MMSH) in Kano, which is the largest in-patient hospital in sub-Saharan Africa, in 2013.

The purpose was to make way for the construction of state-of-the-art surgical and diagnostic centres, but ten years later, the project is yet to be completed.

As a component of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the Dangote Group of Companies, under the auspices of its philanthropic entity, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), allocated a budget of N7 billion for the establishment of the Surgical and Diagnostic Centre (SDC) and the Hajiya Mariya Sunusi Ultra-Modern Maternity Hospital. This facility was named in honour of the mother of the prominent business tycoon.

The northern regional manager, ADF, Alhahi Sunusi Ahmad Abdulkadir, said in Kano that “other components of the intervention include design and installation of improved water supply, sewage, and drainage and electricity system.”

Gate of MMSH

He explained that after observing the suffering of patients crossing over to the other annex section of the Hospital, ADF decided to construct another Accident and Emergency (A&E) section in the main hospital to ease suffering and risk for patients.

“We witnessed how a patient was being pushed on a stretcher and he was hit again by an oncoming vehicle, accident on top of an accident…so we decided to integrate A & E into the main Hospital complex to avoid such incidence,” he had said.

While laying the foundation of the project, Dangote Foundation said: “It is our broader commitment to systematically improve the health and wellbeing of the people which is one of our areas of focus. We believe that it is our collective duty to rally our resources to improve health infrastructure.”

MMSH is the busiest hospital that attends to thousands of patients on a daily basis. It has a cumulative capacity to accommodate 900 in-patients, making it the largest in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.

Admin Block of MMSH

ADF Executive Director, Halima Dangote, had in 2017 disclosed that the foundation upon completion of the project will train the hospital personnel to handle the equipment in the first two years to ensure maintenance culture for maximum benefit of the intervention.

WikkiTimes findings reveal that the hospital currently utilises other smaller theatres as surgical and diagnostic center to attend to patients due to incessant pressure occasioned by the non-completion of the bigger theatre in the Hospital.

In 2022, the federal government of Nigeria through the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constructed additional theatre to support MMSH.

A doctor who spoke to WikkiTimes on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak on the intervention, explained that failure to complete the surgical centre has put so much pressure on the existing ones. He said federal government intervention through the construction of additional theatre eased the strain on the hospital.

“I can assure you there is still pressure on the hospital although there are alternative theatres now that we manage. I wonder why the project is taking almost a decade to be completed,” he told WikkiTimes.

Uncompleted theatre being constructed by ADF

A staff nurse, who also spoke in confidence because she was not permitted to talk to the press, said: “The old theatre was the biggest in the hospital. Now there is congestion. Abdominal surgeries were being done there. ENT was also there. These surgeries are now being carried out at the Emergency site of the hospital located in another building.

“The main laboratory of the hospital was also demolished to erect a state-of-the-art laboratory, now there is no lab. Lab staff are sharing space with colleagues in other blocks.”

A Kano resident, Bala Abubakar, expressed concern over the delay. “I was actually elated when the project began but I later started getting disappointed. Take for instance, how long did it take Dangote Group to construct a whole refinery in Lagos? So simply this is not profit making venture that is why they don’t give it necessary attention.”

Some patients and caregivers explained that completion of the project would ease congestion and ensure better treatment and health care services in the facility.

A caregiver, Aisha Sani said: “I think the project has been here for long. I remember when my sister was admitted in 2015, the project was ongoing and I keep wondering why it is taking all these long time. If they can finish it on time that will bring succour to the patients and personnel.”

In 2015, Halima Dangote, the daughter of the businessman attributed the delay for the construction to “technical hitches which had been resolved.” She said the contract was reassigned to a new contractor, Dantata and Sawoe who pledged to complete the work by the end of 2016.

However, findings by WikkiTimes revealed that seven years after re-awarding the project to Dantata and Sawoe, the project still remains uncompleted.

When queried about the progress of the project, Dr. Mustapha Saidu Salihu, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), expressed optimism that the project would be completed soon.

He provided insights into the project’s current status, saying, “the work has been ongoing for nearly a decade, and it has taken longer than expected. The old theatre block has been replaced by a new one, and all activities have been relocated to another theatre complex known as the female block, where we have multiple theatres, totaling 11 theatre suites.”

Dr. Mustapha continued: “We anticipated that the project will reach completion in the near future. Currently, there are three blocks where work is in progress, and they have all made significant advancements. The largest of these blocks is the maternity and obstetrics block, which is a three-story building; the final interior touches are being applied. The second block will house the theatres, laboratory, and radiology departments, and work is progressing. The third block is the emergency block, where work is also underway.”

He said the federal government had provided an 80-bed capacity theatre to the hospital, which had significantly improved their operations.

However, Alhaji Sunusi Ahmad Abdulkadir, the regional manager North of ADF, explained that various factors had contributed to the project’s delay, including a review and upgrade of the intervention, disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and technical issues.

Abdulkadir reassured the people of Kano that ADF was committed to completing the project. He said the resources had been mobilized, and workers were diligently working round the clock to ensure its successful completion, although he did not specify a completion date.

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“Projects of this magnitude require careful consideration beyond what is visible on the surface. The initial plan was to construct simple theatres, but as we assessed the size and significance of the hospital and its services to the people, we decided to upgrade it,” he explained. “The surgical and diagnostic centres were originally meant to be theatres only, but we later decided to transform them into comprehensive surgical and diagnostic centres, including a radiology unit and labs, all integrated into the SDC building. Approximately 70-75% of the project has been completed, with the remaining work involving electrical and mechanical aspects.”

Abdulkadir said the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the project delay.

This investigation is produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability Project (CMEDIA) and funded by MacArthur Foundation