Citizen-focused Healthcare Delivery Will End Medical Tourism – Federal Govt

Permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mamman Mahmuda, has tasked healthcare providers on citizen-focused service delivery to reform healthcare delivery and end medical tourism in the country.

AMahmuda, who stated this yesterday at a two-day SERVICOM retreat for principal SERVICOM officers of teaching hospitals, Federal Medical Centers (FMC) and other health institutions said reforming medical services is very critical to ensuring good service delivery for citizens.

He said, “I charge the participants to change to a positive attitude and have the citizens at heart because they are vital so that at the end of the day the issue of seeking medical attention outside the country will be over.”

The national coordinator, SERVICOM Office, Mrs, Nnenna Akajameli, said as SERVICOM foot soldiers, there was need for them to begin to think outside of the box, by adding value to the service delivery of processes in the various hospitals and agencies to the satisfaction of citizens and for the common good of every Nigerian.

Represented by the team lead SERVICOM in charge of the health sector, Ternenge Nyipira, Akajemili said “In today’s world, the concept of design thinking as a way of creative resolution of problems is fast gaining ground and I would therefore appeal for solution-focused thinking as we attend to issues of service failures at all service points.

“For example, attending to complaints in a timely, transparent manner and showing empathy to the citizens, carrying out satisfaction surveys and stakeholders’ engagements.”

QAccording to her, the two-day meeting serves as a means for Nodal/Focal and Desk Officers to network and interact on issues concerning service delivery improvement in the Federal Ministry of Health and all its hospitals and agencies.

She urged them to begin to engage with their stakeholders periodically to validate standards set in the service charter and to streamline the service delivery process to make it more citizen focused and less cumbersome.

1The chief medical director (CMD) National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Jaf Momoh, said that after the retreat, decisions would be taken that would ensure that efficient service delivery was rendered to patients.