Pate inaugurates ATBUTH clinical trial centre

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has commissioned the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Clinical Trial Centre, a state-of-the-art facility established to strengthen clinical research, innovation and evidence-based healthcare in Nigeria.

The commissioning took place during the Minister’s official visit to the hospital over the weekend, where he also flagged off the Federal Government’s distribution of Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care equipment, commodities and delivery kits, and inspected ongoing infrastructure projects within the hospital.

The Minister stressed the importance of the Centre in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, noting that it would facilitate scientific discoveries.

He reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to ensuring the effective, efficient and high-quality delivery of healthcare services across the country.

The Minister further assured that the tertiary healthcare system would continue to be strengthened with modern equipment and facilities.

Speaking during the commissioning, the Chief Medical Director of ATBUTH, Professor Yusuf Bara Jibrin, described the Clinical Trial Centre as a major milestone in the hospital’s commitment to advancing medical research and improving healthcare outcomes through high-quality, ethical clinical trials conducted in line with international standards.

Yusuf Bara Jibrin noted that the Centre would support research on vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and other health interventions, while serving as a platform for training healthcare professionals, fostering scientific collaboration and generating local evidence to address priority health challenges.

The Chief Medical Director expressed profound appreciation to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM) for their invaluable technical support, partnership and commitment, which were instrumental in establishing the Centre.

He further commended the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare for prioritising investments in research, innovation and health system strengthening across the country.

The Clinical Trial Centre is expected to position ATBUTH as a leading hub for clinical research, capacity building and collaboration with national and international partners, contributing to improved patient care and better health outcomes in Nigeria and beyond.

The management of ATBUTH reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the Centre as a facility of excellence that will support groundbreaking research, promote innovation and contribute to the advancement of healthcare in line with the hospital’s mandate of service, training and research.