FG Kicks As Reps Move To Establish 16 Health Institutions

The minister of health, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, has warned against the duplication of health institutions across the country in the face of scarce resources.

Pate gave the warning at the public hearing on 16 bills aimed at establishing one health institution or the other, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions on Thursday.

The minister said health sector research, including that of cardiology, was already taking place in Nigeria at various levels, stressing that establishing another institute would be an additional financial burden on the government, which was already cutting down costs by pruning down agencies.

Represented by a ministry director, Dr Jimoh Olawale Salahudeen, the minister appreciated the House’s efforts to deepen healthcare services through training and research in the country.

However, he said cardiovascular research was not at an alert level like that of any other non-communicable diseases to warrant a compelling need for the establishment of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Research and Treatment Centre in Kano.

Pate said, “ All the federal teaching hospitals and federal medical centres in Nigeria, including those in the North West geopolitical zones, already have the mandate of treating cardiovascular diseases, conducting Research, and training healthcare professionals, including medical doctors who specialise in the management of cardiovascular diseases and other related cases.

“The Federal Teaching Hospitals In Northwest geo-political zones include Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital Kano State, Anmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria Kaduna State, Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital Sokoto and Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina State, Federal Medical Center (FMC) Azare Bauchi State, FMC Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State, FMC Birnin Kudu in Jigawa State, FMC Gusau in Zamfara State.

“These aforementioned existing Federal ‘Tertiary Hospitals’ (FTHs) Cardiovascular Units have not been overstretched nor reportedly underserving the people in the geopolitical zone. In addition, other State Tertiary hospitals in this zone complement the effort of the FTHs in responding to some of the specialised cardiovascular cases in this region. These hospitals have not been reported to be underserving the people.

“Furthermore, there is the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba — Lagos, an Agency under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, that has been coordinating medical research in the country as it is obtainable in other parts of the world including the USA, UK, Canada, Ghana, Senegal etc.

“Colleges of Health Technology are established to ensure the training of middle-level health professionals in various fields of health practices. Examples are nursing, radiography, dental therapy and technology, medical laboratory science, and pharmacy, amongst others. The migration of health workers and the epidemics and their emerging trend underscore the need for Nigeria to have enough and efficient health workforce that will be readily available when there are any health emergencies.

“The Federal Ministry of Health has no objection to establishing the proposed Federal Tertiary Health Institutions. However, this should be based on merit, considering geographical spread, burden of disease in the proposed location, population density, and support from the host community and other stakeholders.

“The existing Cardiovascular unit in Federal Tertiary Hospitals should be strengthened. The government should ensure adequate medical manpower, especially during this “ period of massive brain drain in the country—adequate funding of existing cardiology units in all FTHs.

“It is pertinent to note that, there already exist In Adamawa State, the College of Health Technology Michika and College of Health Technology Mubi but they are State owned. The Federal Ministry of Health is not averse to Establishing the Federal College of Health Technology Askira-Uba, as it will further boost the training and availability of Health professionals in response to emergencies. However, Health Technology is within the purview of the state.”

Speaking earlier, the chairman of the committee, Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji, said the migration of health workers from Nigeria to other countries in search of greener pastures posed a significant challenge to the nation’s healthcare system.

Magaji said the core of the hearing is to guide the actualisation of the federal government’s commitment to improve the health care sector through the wide distribution of Healthcare Institutions in Nigeria.

He said that as a result of the growing population, there is the need for reference hospitals closer to the people, particularly in rural and suburban areas, which have grown critical for ensuring the success of government initiatives to improve healthcare.

Magaji said, to develop and expand the country’s training institutions and ensure an equitable distribution of health manpower, the federal government must balance the inequality in the distribution of tertiary institutions across the country.

“The need to reposition the healthcare sector to meet numerous emerging challenges is crucial to its improvement. To succeed in this era, a system that is well-invested in human resources and medical intelligence as the backbone of the health sector is required. The administrative appointment of capable persons based on merit in hospital management also has a role to play.

“Proper human resource management is critical to providing high-quality health care. Effective human resource management strategies are critical for improving healthcare outcomes and access in Nigeria.

“As arguably the most important of the health system inputs, the performance and benefits the system can deliver depend largely on the knowledge, skills, and motivation of those responsible for providing health services. It goes without saying, therefore, that this aspect of our health sector must be invested in to ensure a thriving and performing sector.

“The structural quality of a health system is heavily influenced by its healthcare infrastructure. As we have carried out oversight functions to healthcare institutions across the country since the inauguration of this committee, what is undeniably evident are infrastructural deficiencies of health services, lack of equipment resulting largely from inadequate funding of health institutions by the government, and a total lack of maintenance culture for equipment provided,” he added.