The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says the first African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) facility, located in Abuja, Nigeria, is set to open in June 2025.
The AMCE is an investment of $300 million, expanding to $700 million in its second phase, expected to cater for the health needs of Nigerians and other Africans.
Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, made the announcement at a Festschrift Conference held in honour of Prof. Ghulam Mufti, in London.
The conference took place at the Fetal Medicine Research Institute in London on Nov. 22, a statement by Afreximbank said.
The AMCE initiative, spearheaded by Afreximbank in partnership with Prof. Mufti, King’s Commercial Services, and others, is poised to reduce Africa’s reliance on overseas medical tourism, a sector that drains over $1 billion annually from the continent.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the construction of the 500-bed AMCE Abuja started in 2022, earlier with a groundbreaking in December 2021.
Oramah, while delivering a moving tribute titled “From One Life to a Journey of Many Lives”, highlighted Mufti’s profound contributions to medical sciences and his dedication to advancing healthcare globally.
He lauded Mufti, a globally celebrated haematologist and a professor of Hemato-Oncology, for his groundbreaking work and unwavering commitment to medical education and patient care.
Oramah reflected on his personal connection to the honoree.
Recalling his near-death experience in 2013, Prof. Oramah attributed his recovery to Prof. Mufti’s exceptional expertise and compassionate care, a statement by Afreximbank said.
“Through a series of near-death experiences and recoveries, Prof. Mufti and I built a lasting bond that transcended the conventional doctor-patient relationship.
“It was this bond of destiny that gave birth to a transformational healthcare initiative aimed at saving millions of lives in Africa.
“The cornerstone of this initiative is the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), a world-class healthcare and research network designed to provide accessible, high-quality medical care across Africa.
According to Oramah, Africa owes Mufti a debt of gratitude.
“He is the tree that seeds a rich forest of healthcare facilities, restoring hope to a continent long deprived of quality medical services.”
Oramah extended the gratitude of 1.4 billion Africans, recognising Mufti as a beacon of hope and a catalyst for change in healthcare on the continent.
To further honour Mufti’s legacy, Afreximbank announced two key initiatives.
They include a Scholarship Fund in Mufti’s name and a $300,000 Research Grant.
“The Scholarship Fund in Mufti’s name, established under the AMCE Endowment Foundation, will support eligible African students pursuing medical training at King’s College London and the AMCE Medical and Nursing School.
“The $300,000 Research Grant, the bank has approved funding for haematology research projects proposed by Prof. Mufti, underscoring his pivotal contributions to the field of blood disorders and innovative treatments’’.
NAN reports that the AMCE has a special partnership between Kings College in London and the Christie Cancer Hospital in Manchester.
The centre, which would be run in collaboration with the King’s College Hospital, would be a place of pride as far as quality healthcare was concerned, Oramah had assured at the groundbreaking of AMCE.
He noted that Africa deserved better healthcare than what was obtainable presently.
Earlier, Prof. Ghulam Mufti, who is also the Clinical and Medical Adviser on the AMCE project, had said the hospital would be completed in two phases.
“Phase one will comprise of the 170 in-patient beds that will start taking patients in two years from now, and phase two will follow soon.
“The first phase will provide a comprehensive cardiovascular care centre; this centre will provide state-of-the-art cardio diagnostics and imaging technologies together with expertise for complex and other vascular therapeutics.
“Secondly, the comprehensive cancer centre will cover all the modern needs including Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, Computed Tomography (CT) scanning and other relevant important equipment for the modern management of cancer.’’
Mufti had said that the AMCE would also serve as a place for bone marrow transplants and a hospital for the treatment of blood diseases like leukaemia and sickle cell.
According to him, the ambition and plan is to create a network of medical centres of medical excellence throughout Africa and link them through advanced digital technology. (NAN)
