A Nigeria based firm, Sky Medical Nigeria Limited, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese company to supply medical equipment across both private and public healthcare institutions aimed to reduce the cost of healthcare services in Nigeria.
Some of the major equipments including; Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) which are necessary for medical check up among others.
The MoU formed about total sum of $21,089,875.00 for the equipment.
Speaking with newsmen Thursday in Abuja, shortly after the MoU, a deputy director of Sky Medical Limited, Hamza Nma Ndawuya, said having those important medical equipment in Nigeria will also discourage medical tourism outside the country.
According to Ndawuya, the equipment are going to reduce problems Nigerians are facing in terms of healthcare services because like MRI, when you check, the entire country has about five or six in the whole country.
“We here to sign an agreement, MoU with a Chinese Company. We want to supply equipment to Nigerian hospitals; Government hospitals and private hospitals. We already have hospital customers, those who are patronising the equipment. So, the Chinese company bringing the equipment to our company is here with us today.
“We are expecting the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT (Computed Tomography), and every equipment the hospitals need we are expecting from them. We have requested, we have given them a request book and they have worked on it and by next two months, the equipment are going to be in Nigeria.
“So, now we are coming with five more. The MRI is for checking the human system and it is very important for Cancer and other ailments. CT, we are bringing not less than five to this country and other equipment are available for them to bring to this country.”
When asked how many Nigerian hospital have indicated interest for those equipment, the company spokesman said: “We are bringing these equipment to any hospital that needs it, we are going to install the equipment, after installation we are also going to give them expatriate that will work for one or two weeks and every two months we are going to be sending our workers to go and check how the equipment are doing.
“We have four or five private companies that need these equipment and we have promised them, they are not going to pay in cash if they decide to pay in cash no problem but we are giving them a fixed price and this fixed price they may pay it three, four or five years and we are going to be maintaining it for them and we are also giving them the expatriate that will work in their hospital, help them check the equipment and patients.”
Also speaking, the representative of the Chinese firm, a director, Mr. Wang Yang, confirmed the partnership, adding that his company was happy about the development.
Yang said: ” I’m glad to be here and complete the transaction. We will continue to try our best to support the professional and technical medical services in Nigeria through partnership with this company.”
