Health Minister inspects medical equipment in National hospitals Kaduna

The Minister for States, Dr. Iziaq Salako has taken a routine tour of all the National hospitals situated within Kaduna metropolis to inspect the equipments.

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These apex hospitals include; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric hospital, National Eye center and the National Ear, Nose and Throat Centre.

Dr. Salako disclosed that the aim of the inspection was to supervise all medical equipment for upgrade as captured in the budgetary allocation of the Ministry.

“President Bola Tinubu has increased the budgetary allocation for health this year with the sole aim of eliminating medical tourism. The budget targets reduced cost of controlled drugs and other medical consumables via issuing of waiver and a holistic change of mechanism in the recruitment process of Health workers. It will also double the number of health workers presently relocating abroad.”

The Minister maintained that the federal government budgets for eye care surgery across Nigeria is hinged on what National Eye Centre Kaduna can do, meaning, the hospital is strategic in the implementation of that aspect of the budget.

“The staff of this hospital must rededicate themselves to work and must also create VIP, (Very Important Personality) segments for all inclusive service thereby, cutting off medical tourism.”

“I still feel this hospital is not doing enough because we still have a sizable number of Nigerians with preventable blindness, cataract and so many other eye diseases. I want you to increase your penetration to the communities,” Salako stressed.

Earlier, the CMD, National Eye Centre Dr. Hassan-Wali in her speech revealed that the hospital made far-reaching positive contributions in Eye Care in Nigeria especially in prevention of blindness, stressing that the Centre, aside Hospital Based Ophthalmic services, is committed to Community outreach.

“We have developed sub-specialties in Intra ocular lens, implant microsurgery, pediatric ophthalmology, orbit/oculoplastic, retina and community ophthalmology, human resources development for Resident training in ophthalmology, restraining of opthalmologists from other Teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centers in recent ophthalmological surgical advances, Ophthalmic Nursing Diploma Course, Advanced Diploma in Community Ophthalmic Nursing, instrument maintenance and Nurse Refractionist courses among others.”

Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital

At the Neuro-Psychiatric hospital, the Minister who cited the National Mental Health Act 2021 pinpointed that the establishment of mental health departments in all tertiary hospitals, decriminalization of attempt to suicide and establishment of health assessment committees in all states are sacrosanct to the well-being of Nigerians as stipulated by the act and have been prioritized by President Bola Tinubu.

He assured of more resources at the Basic Health Care, promising more funding is being budgeted for mental health at the Primary Health Care level to ensure patients satisfaction comes at a subsidized rate.

Salako who lauded the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital for its organized and digitalized medical records system cum hotel equivalent reception noted that, in diversifying, the hospital must focus on it’s primary mandate which is mental health, warning that resources must be deployed 99.9% for mental health.

He said the hospital must also explore the creation of VIP segment for treatment to control stigma and cut medical tourism stressing that, mental challenges exist even within the rich.

National Ear Care Centre

While at the Ear Center, the Health Minister lamented that nothing much has been heard about National Ear Care despite it’s huge budget allocation which is almost equivalent to that of the Eye Centre and other National hospitals.

Challenging the Medical Director, Ear Center, Dr Mustapha Yaro, the Minister advised him to emulate his counterparts by upgrading the Center with the resources at his disposal.

“This year, you must up your game, you can copy what Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta is doing, this year we will ensure purchase of more equipments for this hospital and we will continue to support the hospital for effective service delivery. On the space you mentioned earlier, this place can not be abandoned because it is in the city centre but could still be managed for effective services.” The Minister emphasized.

Salako called on the Medical Director to forward his request for recruitment waiver so that the numerous sensitive gaps created as a result of brain drain “Japa” could be filled up for better service delivery.

Over the years, National Ear Care Centre Kaduna had broken records in cochlear implants surgery, laser head and neck surgery, middle ear surgery, voice restoration surgeries and endoscopic sinus surgery.