A major milestone in addressing Nigeria's poor health infrastructure nightmare was achieved on Thursday, whenthe Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) signed agreements with three state governments and five federal medical centres, for the expansion of the Authority's Diagnostics and Oncology Expansion Programme, valued at $100 million.

The Authority through its Healthcare Development and Investment Company (NHDIC) entered into eight collocation agreements in total, with terms and conditions designed to take the health sector to the next level.

They are; Lease and Collaboration agreements with five Federal Medical Centres and three State Governments under phase one of the expansion programme. The State governments are Enugu, Kaduna and Kwara states; while the selected medical centres are; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi, Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Federal Medical Centre Asaba, Delta, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom and University College Hospital Board of Management, Oyo state. The event was attended by the Managing Director, NSIA, Uche Orji, the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, representatives of Governors of Kwara, Kaduna States and Medical Directors of the Teaching Hospitals.

According to the NSIA CEO, the broader goal of the healthcare programme is to establish, in two phases, a portfolio of 23 diagnostic centres, seven catheterization labs and two oncology centres across Nigeria.

Pursuant to these agreements, funds will be deployed to build, equip, maintain, and operate catheterization labs in Kwara, Oyo, Sokoto, Bauchi and Delta states; build, equip, maintain, and operate private modern medical diagnostic centres in Enugu, Kaduna, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Sokoto, Bauchi and Delta states; and build, equip, maintain, and operate an oncology Centre for advanced radiotherapy treatment. “Each centre will run as a joint venture between NSIA and the respective tertiary hospital to ensure timely and efficient delivery of services.