Diri: My mother’s death inspired Bayelsa Hemodialysis Centre

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has revealed that the death of his mother in 2013 due to renal failure motivated him to build the Hemodialysis Centre in Bayelsa State.

Diri, who disclosed this during the commissioning of the project by the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammadu Ali Pate, said he desires to ensure the facility treats those with similar health conditions.

While acknowledging the past contribution of the former Governor of Rivers State and incumbent FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who donated N500 million to the facility, Diri said he feels fulfilled that the jinx of the 500-bed hospital has been broken.

“When I came in, I said if there is a jinx in this 500-bed hospital, it must be broken. Today, we are breaking that jinx. We have invested so much, and today, this hospital is ready for outpatients.

“I picked so much interest, particularly in the hemodialysis centre. My mother died in 2013 of renal failure, and so if we had a facility like this, maybe my mother wouldn’t have died.

“I feel very fulfilled today that our people will no longer die of renal failure and that Bayelsa can now offer these services to Bayelsans and Nigerians. We will continue to do more because health is wealth.”

Pate, in his remarks after commissioning the facility, commended Diri for prioritising the health needs of residents in the state.

According to him, all tiers of government must work collaboratively to harness the country’s resources to provide for the health needs of the population.

He applauded Diri for his vision of establishing the Hemodialysis Centre in the state, stressing that the governor has shown commitment to healthcare delivery and is investing in the health needs of his people.

“Diabetes, hypertension, kidney failure, and other non-communicable diseases are major issues in our population, and you are addressing them frontally by making this Hemodialysis Centre active. It’s a strong statement of your commitment to addressing something that touches the lives of thousands of our people so that they don’t die because they have kidney failure. You are also doing it in a place that trains health workers to take care of them.”