Former Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has denied a claim by the new government of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf that he sold to a private individual a part of the building that housed the State’s owned Hasiya Bayero Pediatric Hospital in the old site located near Kofar Kudu, Kano metropolis.
A statement signed on Tuesday by the former Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, refuted the allegation, saying the services at the hospital were temporarily suspended after its relocation following the completion of the Khalifa Sheikh Isyaka Rabiu Pediatric Hospital.
This new facility offers a greater number of bed spaces and provides enhanced services while also functioning as a training and research center.
The former Hasiya Bayero Hospital was intended to be repurposed into a malnutrition treatment center, serving as a referral center for such cases.
Malam Garba further revealed that the government of Kano State had proposed the establishment of a factory within the facility for manufacturing Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) for malnutrition treatment.
Similar plans were envisioned for other health facilities across the state. To facilitate the conversion process, a Technical Committee was formed under the administration of Governor Ganduje.
The committee even conducted a study tour to a comparable facility in Maradi, Niger Republic, with the aim of creating a suitable center.
Contrary to the claims made by Governor Yusuf, Malam Garba confirmed that no sale of the hospital took place up until May 29 of this year. He unequivocally stated that the hospital remained the property of the government of Kano State.
