PPP will enhance efficient healthcare delivery in Nasarawa State – CMD

Chief Medical Director of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) Lafia, Dr. Hassan Ikrama, says Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the health sector would enhance efficiency in service delivery in the state.

The CMD who stated this in an interview with Journalists in Lafia said the specialist hospital has adopted the PPP initiative due to its enormous benefits.

Dr. Ikrama explained that DASH had entered into a partnership and allowed private investment in Radiology and Laboratory departments.

He added that the partnership in the two departments is a pilot one and would be extended to other departments for the overall development of the hospital.

“Due to few machines in the laboratory, some investigations in the hospital take two to three days for the results to be ready because of the number of people on the waiting list. 

“But with the PPP the partners would supply more equipment and machines thereby making it possible for results that takes two to three days before to be ready within few hours,” the CMD noted.

He said the state government has provided state-of-the-art facilities and structures in the hospital but wants more investment from the private sector for more efficiency in service delivery.

He explained that the state government in the last two years spent billions of naira in buying more equipment and building more structures.

Dr. Ikrama listed some of the machines procured by the government that is already put to use to include; ventilators, Computed Tomography (CT) scanner, data and mobile x-ray machines, echo machine among others.

He expressed hope that the PPP would work because it has worked in other states and the government has tried it in other sectors which worked as well.

He added that a lot of private partners have indicated interest, but the government through the management of the hospital has selected those which services were good and affordable.

Dr. Ikrama further explained that the partnership was necessitated because of the determination of the government to make the specialist hospital one of the best in the country.

“We want to ensure that the hospital has the machines to carry out all tests and investigations we hitherto refer to specialist hospitals in other states,” he added.

The CMD also commended the state government for introducing the state Health Insurance Scheme and urged the public especially civil servants to embrace it due to its enormous benefits.

Ikram said a health insurance scheme is the only thing that would ensure easy assess to healthcare services to members of the public.

Emmanuel Ukoh