Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has said that his administration has resolved to privatise the Specialist Hospital in Benin City to provide world class healthcare services.

According to the Governor, the privatisation of the hospital would put it at par with the best hospitals in the world and would serve the healthcare needs of Nigerians who ordinarily would have travelled abroad for such services.

He said his administration would woo to the state citizens who have the resources to travel abroad for medical treatment.

He added that the accruing resources from medical tourism would be channeled to provide affordable healthcare services for the ordinary people across the state.

Obaseki also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state government and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which will provide over two million treated mosquito nets for Edo citizens.

The Governor added that many people suffer from malaria compared to renal failure and stressed that primary healthcare was key to improved health of the people.

“We are going to invest massively in our primary healthcare system,” the Governor assured.

Obasekiadded that his administration places high premium on the healthcare of the people, which explained why he appointed the Deputy Governor, Hon. Philip Shaibu to head the state Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Net Campaign Committee.

“I hope we will make history by emerging the first state in the country to totally eliminate malaria. Our counterpart fund is available and we are working round-the-clock to ensure that the timeline we set for ourselves for the roll-outwhich is August 20, this year is met,” Obaseki said.

The leader of theCRS, Dr. Ikhimioya Uchechuku commended the Governor for the collaboration and expressed its readiness to work with the administration to ensure that malaria was a thing of the past in the state.

•Photo showsDeputy Governor, Philip Shaibu (R), handing over the signed MoU between Edo State Government and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to Governor Godwin Obaseki