The Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta, Lagos, Adedamola Dada, has appealed to the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, to assist the facility in persuading the Nigerian Railway Corporation to release more land space to the hospital for expansion.
Mr Dada, in a press statement signed by the ministry of health’s director, media and public relations, Boade Akinola, on Sunday said the hospital had embarked on a massive upgrading of its facilities to meet global stand and be better positioned to provide qualitative healthcare to Nigerians.
Mr Dada who was briefing the minister in Lagos on Friday, according to the statement, said the upgrade was highly placed on the management’s priority. He said the upgrade included the renovation of hospital wards, public toilets, and installation of oxygen bed amongst others.
He said since the hospital has automated its IGR collection, it has witnessed continuous monthly increase in IGR and has substantially reduced the leakages.
“The hospital had also helped improved the capacity of staff through relevant training programme,” he said.
Mr Adewole was at the facility with some other Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Directors (MDs) of federal hospitals from across the country for a peer review meeting.
The meeting was to enable them exchange ideas, share experiences and appreciate challenges confronting each facility in other to help the government address such and if necessary capture them in the 2019 budget.
The review was also to give direct response to some of the demands by Nigerians on what the present administration was doing on health related issues.
Mr Adewole while expressing satisfaction with the current state of the structures at the hospital commended Mr Dada for improving infrastructure and services at the hospital. He assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would invest more money on health and education in 2019.
The minister said government would not only invest money on health but also on education.
Mr Adewole during the tour of the facilities said the renovated section could be compared with any health institution abroad.
“We need healthy people to drive the economy as we also need educated people to drive the economy. So we would not neglect our human resources, so I assure you that for 2019, this government would put more money on health and education and we would make our people proud,” he said.
The minister also called on all federal health institutions to emulate the hospital. He also made a call to Nigerians to avail themselves of the opportunities for health care at home.
Some participants at the peer review meeting include, J. Momah, Chief Medical Director, National Hospital Abuja; Joe Amedu, Director Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health Abuja; Emeka Onwey, Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki; Yemi Ogun, Medical Director, Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital Yaba amongst others. Premium Times
