By SN24.com 
By Peter Akpah.
Jos, Plateau State – The Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Kachollom S. Daju mni, toured the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Jos on Friday, 12 December 2025. She was received by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Icha Inalegwu Onche, and senior management staff, who guided her through the facility’s wards, operating theatres and laboratory.
The hospital, which resumed full‑scale services in October 2025 after a period of construction, has already begun performing surgeries and receiving patients from across Plateau State and neighbouring regions. In a brief speech, Prof. Onche thanked Hon. Minister of Health Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako and Permanent Secretary Daju for their “overwhelming support” and acknowledged the role of Plateau State Governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, whose collaboration facilitated part of the construction work.
According to the permanent secretary Kachollom Daju I came to inspect the National Orthopaedic Hospital, one of the federal tertiary hospitals under the Ministry’s supervision, and to see how much work has been done,” Daju said. “When I visited a few months ago, the site was still under construction. I am pleased that Prof. Onche and his team have set the hospital rolling and it is now fully operational. This facility, situated in the heart of Jos, will serve patients from Plateau and the surrounding states, providing specialised orthopaedic care that was previously unavailable in the region.”
Daju extended gratitude to Governor Mutfwang for his assistance with construction and reaffirmed that the hospital is open to all Nigerians, noting the presence of a strong team of doctors, consultants and support staff dedicated to saving lives and improving health outcomes.
During a follow‑up question, the Permanent Secretary addressed lingering challenges, citing funding constraints that had delayed equipment procurement and expansion plans. “2025 has been an unusual year; we have not been able to access all the funding we desired, which affected our ability to procure equipment and expand at the pace we envisioned,” she explained. “However, we look forward to 2026. The waiver for equipment procurement for all federal tertiary hospitals, including the National Orthopaedic Hospital, has been approved by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. This will significantly improve our services.”
She added that while the laboratory is functional, further upgrades are planned once full operational status is achieved.
The visit underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening tertiary healthcare infrastructure in the North‑Central zone and signals forthcoming improvements in equipment, staffing and service delivery at the National Orthopaedic Hospital.
