FG working to provide affordable healthcare services — Minister

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to ensure affordable healthcare services to all Nigerians, to achieve universal health coverage.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Adeleke Mamora, made the commitment on Tuesday, at the inauguration of some projects at the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina.

“It has been the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure provision of affordable healthcare services to all Nigerians in the efforts to achieve universal health coverage.

“This commitment has necessitated in significant increase in the budgetary allocation to all Federal Medical Centres, and indeed, to all health institutions in the country.

“There has also been a significant rise in budgetary releases to finance the appropriations; the commissioning of projects in the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, today, is a clear testimony,” he said.

Mamora said that the projects would assist in reducing medical tourism, morbidity and mortality rates, and boost the revenue base of the hospital.

In his remarks, Gov. Aminu Masari, said that the state had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the federal government to convert the medical centre to a teaching hospital.

He said that the teaching hospital would be for the state owned Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina and the Federal University, Dutsin-ma.

Also speaking, the Chairperson, Governing Council of the medical centre, Hajiya Hannatu Akilu, said that the hospital had recorded reduction in morbidity and mortality rates by 40 percent.

“Morbidity and mortality rates reduced by about 40 per cent, from 22 deaths per 1,000 in 2017, to 13 per 1,000 in 2021.

“The waiting time for patients has also been drastically reduced from 45-60 minutes, to 10-15 minutes now, by the introduction of Electronic Health Record (EHR),” she said.

Akilu said that the introduction of Electronic Health Record (EHR) had facilitated the digitalisation of the hospital’s entire operations.

According to her, it has also assisted in curtailing revenue pilferages.

“Prior to the introduction of EHR, monthly revenue was N15 million, but now it has increased to N60 million, which is a 400 per cent increase,” she said.

The Medical Director of the centre, Dr Bello Suleiman, said that the projects inaugurated include: modern Accident and Emergency Complex, Emergency Paediatric Unit and Microbiology/Molecular Laboratory Complex.

Others include: Medical Intensive Care Units and a Ring Road.