The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said there are plans to rehabilitate Kuje general hospital and improve the infrastructure and enhance the healthcare service delivery in the hospital.
The director-general of FCT Hospital Management Board, Dr Mohammed Kawu, made this known yesterday while briefing journalists after inspecting the facilities in the hospital.
Kawu said the board was working assiduously with the FCT mandate secretary for health and human services secretariat, the permanent secretary, and the minister of state to reform services in all general hospitals in the territory.
He also said that the FCT administration at the higher level was thinking of building bigger hospitals to ensure that there was more than one hospital in each area council.
“There is a plan to rehabilitate this hospital, the place is looking old, rehabilitation was done long ago, so we will ensure that we do something very soon. This is a small facility that was built for a smaller population. Population explosion in FCT has become unprecedented because of so many factors that we all know.”
“So, the numbers of patients that are accessing service in this facility are far higher than the numbers expected. But, from what we have seen so far, the condition of the hospital is not as bad as has been portrayed.
“We have entered all the wards, the toilets are clean, there is water, and electricity supply, the staff is there and the few people we asked said they were satisfied with the services offered to them but there is room for improvement,” he said.
The DG said the FCT administration was trying to revitalise its drugs revolving fund to ensure the provision of 90 percent of drugs in all health facilities in the nation’s capital.
He assured the residents that the board would engage the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) to improve its services, adding that health insurance was a system where services are paid for.
“So, if it is beyond what you are supposed to access you cannot access more than that, but we will still engage the FCT Health Insurance Scheme. Since I was appointed as the Director-General of the FCT Hospital Management Board, I have been going around hospitals in the territory.
“I went to Abaji, Kwali, and Karshi General Hospitals and I visited Kuje General Hospital alone to see what has been going on and I was not very satisfied. So, I effected a change of leadership in August 2022. I appointed a new medical director and new management.
“We just heard somebody complaining about drug issues. We realised one of the big issues here, our Drugs Revolving Fund needs to be revitalised so that we have all the drugs that are needed in all the hospitals,” he said.
Kawu called on the public to always engage the government properly on issues arising from any complaints they have or whatever they observe about the operation of hospitals in the territory.
“There is a medical director and management of all hospitals, there is Director-General of FCT Hospital Management Board and the Secretary for Health and Human Services Secretariat who is like a Commissioner for Health, the FCT Permanent Secretary, the FCT Minister and the Minister of State.
“So, if there are issues that we think are not going well. The best is to approach one of those authorities and lay your complaint,” he said.
Also, the medical director of Kuje General Hospital, Dr. Olufemi Oshideko, commended the FCTA for the provision of equipment, hospital delivery beds, blood bank, and other facilities to the hospital since he assumed office.
Oshideko, however, said that the main challenge of the hospital was inadequate electricity supply and manpower, saying ” we spend so much money on diesel and the issue of manpower, the brain drain is real.
We’ve got the edge. Get real-time reports, breaking scoops, and exclusive angles delivered straight to your phone. Don’t settle for stale news. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates →
Join Our WhatsApp Channel
