The Federal Teaching Hospital, Owerri, says it has started implementing the kidney dialysis subsidy, requiring patients to pay N12,000 only, as approved by the federal government.

The public relations officer of the hospital, Ikechukwu Onuegbu, confirmed this in an interview with journalists in Owerri on Sunday.

In August, the federal government subsidised the cost of kidney dialysis in some pilot hospitals in the country, reducing it from N50,000 per session of treatment to N12,000.

The government said the objective of the subsidy was to reduce the physical and financial sufferings of vulnerable Nigerians and the number of deaths associated with the ailment.

Mr Onuegbu said the hospital commenced the implementation of the subsidy alongside other designated health facilities across the country, “without delay”.

He urged the public to visit the hospital “to see for themselves to avoid hearsay”.

A nephrologist with the hospital, who identified himself simply as Ned, said it was “no longer speculation but the truth”.

Mr Ned thanked the federal government “for hastening the implementation” of the subsidy, unlike other government interventions.

“The implementation of this subsidy is currently in the pilot phase and this hospital is not left out.

“The subsidy has notably increased patients’ attendance at dialysis units in designated hospitals, marking a significant step in reducing the burden of kidney disease in the country,” he said.

He called for further integration of dialysis and kidney transplant services into the National Health Insurance scheme to ensure sustainable and widespread access.

A public health practitioner, Stephen Onyewuchi, said that the implementation has noticeably alleviated the financial burden on patients with kidney-related diseases and expanded access to universal health coverage.

“Nothing beats affordable healthcare, especially in the light of current economic difficulties,” Mr Onyewuchi said.

The chief medical director of St. Anthony Hospital, Obinze, Christopher Agu, also lauded the federal government’s subsidy.

Mr Agu described it as “a real dividend of democracy”, and a big plus for the country’s healthcare indices.

He urged private healthcare practitioners to key into the initiative through calls for the expedited expansion of the Health Insurance Act to accommodate major kidney-related diseases.

The respondents urged the federal government not to renege on its promise that the subsidy would be implemented in all parts of the country.

(NAN)