The Armed Forces Staff Hospital Kano (AFSHK) was acquired in 1991 by Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN). Since inception, the facility has remained the foremost tertiary tri-Service health care facility for the AFN. Although the hospital came into existence in 1991, the provision of clinical services commenced in 1998.
It was established primarily to serve Armed Forces personnel and their immediate families, civilian staff of Ministry of Defence (MOD), the paramilitary agencies, the federal civil servants and the civilian populace. The AFSHK was granted an Establishment Order with effect from 30 Oct 17, which clearly spelt out its organization.
Its current status based on the Establishment Order is that of a Level III facility with a tilt towards trauma care. The hospital has become the first point of call for civilians in and around Kano because of its popularity, affordability and accessibility. The AFSHK is a 200-bed purpose built hospital located at No 2 Ashton Road (now Kastina Road). The medical facility comprises an administrative block, 2 main blocks and other composite buildings. These 2 main blocks designated A and B are both storey buildings which accommodate the wards, operating theatre, obstetrics and gynaecology department, pharmacy, pathology-laboratory and the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Plan (MOD-HIP) offices.
Other buildings include the Officers’ Mess and a kitchen, a chapel, a mosque, dental unit, and a large car park amongst others. The size of the hospital and its location close to the Aminu Kano International Airport made it suitable to serve as a Level 4 facility especially for medical evacuations to and from Kano. Additionally, its relative proximity to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and the National Orthopaedic Hospital facilitates collaboration, ready access and a broad based specialist heath care rendition by AFSHK.
The AFSHK runs a daily general outpatient and specialist clinics. It provides both primary and secondary and sometimes tertiary healthcare services. The clinical services are rendered through the general outpatient, medical, surgical, dental, laboratory, ophthalmic, pharmaceutical, family planning, obstetrics and gynaecology, preventive health and other departments. It also has a functional operating theatre. It is a referral hospital for 3 Bde Medical Center, 73 Bn MRS and 465 NAF Hospital.
The AFSHK is one of the comprehensive sites of the MOD-HIP. In collaboration with an NGO (Grassroots Smile Initiative), the hospital is a designated centre for free treatment of Cleft Lip and Palates. Over 4000 cleft lip and palate patients have so far been treated free through reconstructive surgeries.
It also provides training in form of Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) to students of Schools of Health Technologies in Kano, Jigawa and Zamfara States. To foster corporate social responsibilities and promote the much needed civil-military cooperation (CIMIC), the AFSHK provides free medical services through medical outreaches to the host communities.
