Healthcare Delivery Receives Boost as NLNG Builds and Commissions Laboratories at ATBUTH

From Jamila Adamu, Bauchi

In a significant move to strengthen healthcare delivery in Nigeria, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited has built and commissioned a state-of-the-art laboratory complex at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi. The project, executed under NLNG’s Hospital Support Programme, marks a major stride toward enhancing diagnostic capacity, healthcare service delivery, and medical education in the North-East region.

The initiative reflects a shared commitment to a better healthcare system through collaboration, innovation, and sustainable development.

The multi-million-naira edifice is described as a dream come true for the teaching hospital, which now boasts enhanced facilities for the diagnosis of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The complex will also serve as a live classroom and research hub for medical students and professionals.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Dr. Philip Mshelbwala, represented by the General Manager of External Relations and Sustainable Development, Dr. Sophia Horsfall, explained that the project was conceived following a comprehensive needs assessment that identified a critical gap in diagnostic services in the North-East sub-region. She emphasized that NLNG is committed to ensuring its operations translate into tangible value for Nigerians across all six geo-political zones by supporting critical healthcare infrastructure.

Also speaking at the commissioning, the Chief Medical Director of ATBUTH, Professor Yusuf Jibrin Bara, highlighted the importance of the facility in enhancing patient care, strengthening surveillance systems, and improving disease response mechanisms. He noted that Bauchi State currently bears a high burden of diphtheria, cholera, and Lassa fever, making the new laboratory facilities even more essential.

The new edifice is equipped with specialized laboratories for advanced diagnostic services, sample collection and preparation rooms with proper storage, solar and electrical installations, waiting and changing rooms, among other vital facilities.

The commissioning ceremony featured goodwill messages from various stakeholders who lauded the collaboration between NLNG and ATBUTH, describing it as a milestone in the collective quest for improved healthcare delivery in Nigeria.