FCT Minister Slammed for High Hospital Rates

Posted on: Tue 10-09-2013

The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, had recentlyapproved new hospital charges in all public medical facilities within its jurisdiction, but that decision has generated a wave of backlash from residents who see the move as a betrayal of the much-talked-about transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

Arising from its weekly executive council meeting yesterday, FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed stated that the move became necessary in order to deliver a qualitative healthcare to residents.

“Intensive Care Unit, ICU, N15,000 per day; Hemodialysis with vascular access -N14,000 per session and Hemodialysis without vascular access-N19,000 per session”, he said.

The Minister revealed that the new minimal charges would only be allowed in the case of new services introduced in the Hospitals. “Other new Laboratory Services including Hbe Surface Antigen Test and HPylori Test will go for N2,600 and N2,000 respectively”, he added. The Minister pegged the cost of new Radiology services like Trans Vaginal Scan (TVS) at N2,500; CT Intravenous Urography (IVU)- N60,000; CT Angiography- N70,000; Trans Rectal Scam- N2,000; CT Scam (Abdomen)-N40,000; CT Scan (Brain) N30,000 and Echocardiography-N10,000.

Although Mr. Mohammed warned that all other charges for services currently being provided by FCT Hospitals must not be increased in whatever way either directly or indirectly, some residents said the current increases was ill-thought and inauspiciously done. On the proposed review of the scope of the Free Antenatal Care Services in the FCT Hospitals, the Minister directed that the status quo should remain.

The FCT Minister further directed that if there were shortcomings in funding the programme, efforts would be made to augment through SURE-P and other sources for the needed funds. Muhammed Yushau, a banker from the minister’s home state of Bauchi, faulted the FCT Administration for neglecting Primary Healthcare Facilities in the territory. He said rather than develop such facilities that would have maximum impact on the masses, the administration was busy increasing charges. “It is absurd when the government has to increase charges at will even when those in authority treat themselves free of charge using tax payers money.

When you go to most of these facilities, you do not get value for your money. One of our staff in Bwari told us of how she saw an FCTA-owned medical facility where a child delivery was undertaken by use of candles because there was no electricity supply.

You can imagine what would happen were they to have any complication as a result of that”, he said. Bola Daud, a pharmacist also said it was not enough to bring in equipment and then jerk up prices. “You just need to move round the health facilities in FCT and you will weep.

The situation warrants a declaration of a state of emergency in the sector by the minister. Electricity supply is a major problem and aside that, some of the staff are not well-trained. It is a common sight in some hospitals for you to see a doctor administering injections and setting drips on patients. In some states, those are the job of the nurses but here, some of these nurses do not know how to do such things. Even to prescribe drugs for normal headache is a problem for some of them”, he stated.

Despite criticisms, the minister believes his administration has done well in the health sector and as a result, more people continue to access FCT hospitals because of the confidence they have in them.

According to him, FCTA-owned health facilities attended to and treated 1,051,313 patients across the Federal Capital Territory between July 17, 2013 and August 12, 2013. Out of the number, 689,581 patients were General Out-Patient and 206,406 for Specialist Clinics comprising Gynaecol-ogy, Surgical, Medical, Paediatrics, Dental, Ophthalmology and HIV/AIDS, while the FCT Free Antenatal Programme has been able to attend to 155,326 including 116, 515 and 38, 811 for old and new pregnant women respectively.

According to him, the FCT Administration has procured assorted medical equipment comprising of Patients Monitors, Electrocardiography (ECG) machines, Defibrillators, Feto-maternal Monitors, Oxygen Concentrators as well as Binocular Microscopes and distributed same to all the 12 FCTA Hospitals to enhance the quality of clinical services; thereby improving access to a certain minimum standard of health care delivery.

He also revealed that a new Mammography machine for breast cancer screening has been procured for Asokoro District Hospital and has been installed bringing the number to two the number of Mammography machines in our hospitals; adding that it will soon be test run and commissioned. The Minister remarked that the 5-Bed VIP Ward in the Asokoro District Hospital has been upgraded to a High Dependency Unit to complement the ICU there and it is fully equipped with multiparameter Patient Monitors all linked to the central monitor.

Senator Mohammed noted that two new Medical Imaging Units equipped with Static X-Ray, Mobile X-Ray, Automatic Film processors and 2D Ultrasound scanners were recently commissioned in Gwarinpa and Kubwa General Hospitals respectively. “Three new ultrasound machines including a top of the range Mindray DC-8 with capacity for Echocardiography has been procured for three hospitals including Asokoro and Wuse District Hospitals respectively as well as Kubwa General Hospital”, he stressed.

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