The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has revealed plans to rehabilitate Kuje General Hospital to improve infrastructure and enhance healthcare delivery in the hospital.

Director-general of the FCT Hospital Management Board, Mohammed Kawu, disclosed the plans while briefing journalists shortly after inspecting facilities in the hospital on Tuesday.

“There is also a plan to rehabilitate this hospital. You can see it is looking old, and rehabilitation may be much longer, so we will ensure that we do something very soon,” Mr Kawu said.

He stated that 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 described the health facility as small, stating that the number of patients accessing services in the facility was far higher than 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, electricity supply, and staff are there.

“The few people we asked said they were satisfied with the services offered to them, but there is room for improvement,” Mr Kawu said.

The DG also disclosed that the FCTA was trying to revitalise its drugs revolving fund to ensure the provision of 90 per cent of drugs in all health facilities in the nation’s capital.

He assured that the board would engage the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) to improve its services.

Mr Kawu urged the public to always engage the government properly on issues arising from any complaint they have or whatever they observe about the operation of hospitals in the territory.

The DG disclosed that the board would provide a new anaesthetic machine at Kuje general hospital as soon as possible.

On his part, the medical director of Kuje General Hospital, Olufemi Oshideko, commended the FCTA for providing equipment, hospital delivery beds, blood bank and other facilities to the hospital since he assumed office.

Mr Oshideko, however, said 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.”

Earlier, some patients at the hospital complained about the non-availability of drugs above N500 for FHIS.

Austine Okoro and Sarah Afolabi, who narrated their ordeals at the hospital, decried huge “out-of-pocket” spending on drugs meant to be given at 90 per cent subsided rates to enrollees.

(NAN)