Bauchi — Bauchi State government has awarded contract for the construction of a 300-bed specialist hospital in Bauchi at the cost of N2.5 billion.

State Commissioner for Health Dr Sani Abubakar Malami said a ministerial briefing in Bauchi yesterday that 70 per cent down payment of N1. 8 billion has been made and the contractor mobilized to site.

The commissioner said the need to establish the hospital followed conversion of the state specialist hospital to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital and that the specialist hospital would improve the existing health facilities across the state.

Government, according to him, expended a lot of money to renovate, upgrade and standardize general hospitals in the state, saying the administration spent N97 million on provision of boreholes and power generating sets in each general hospital in the state.