The Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, in Lagos State, says it has attended to  77,071 psychiatric patients at various out-patient pharmaceutical service points in the hospital.

The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, made this known during the hospital’s presentation of the 2022 Annual Report (A Day with the Medical Director) on Wednesday.

Mr Owoeye said that a total of N601.63 million was expended on purchase of medications, which had been robust and purchased through competitive tender process within the period under review.

He said the hospital catered for some indigent patients on admission as a total of 24 indigent patients were catered for and medications worth N1.35 million were dispensed to them.

According to him, the hospital lost three out of the 24 indigent patients within the year under review, saying that these were patients who had been with the hospital for decades.

The medical director noted that the hospital witnessed tremendous physical and infrastructural changes in the last one year, which were made possible with funds from the government through the Federal Ministry of Health.

He explained that major developmental projects were facilitated at different stages and times both in Yaba and Oshodi annex of the hospital, which had greatly improved the pictorial state and aesthetic value of the hospital as well as health service delivery compared to what it was in the past.

He listed some of these projects to include completion of the administrative building, upgrading of the psychology/psychotherapy building, rehabilitation of hospital wards, construction and remodelling of the out-patient clinic, construction of the psychiatric tele-psychiatric centre, among others.

He said  210 members of staff were sponsored for local training, while one was sponsored for an international training programme, saying that the sponsorship covered all the departments in the hospital and they were all targeted at capacity building and better performance on the job.

“The continuous supply of medications to indigent patients without payment/reimbursement is a great burden to the Drug Revolving Fund.

“However, within the year under review, the hospital witnessed tremendous improvement in Human Capacity Building, physical and infrastructural development.

“Staff promotion and appointment of essential workers were carried out as and when due, capital projects were approved and executed with adherence to due process, issues of industrial relations and complaints were treated with dispatch through a redress mechanism and improvements in funding and finances were pursued with renewed vigour.

“These were made possible basically by the synergy between the Board, Management and staff and are evident in the remarkable and monumental growth the hospital witnessed in the year,” Mr Owoeye said.

On the lookout for 2023, Mr Owoeye listed staff welfare, infrastructural development and electronic medical record as the key areas of concentration.

He noted that inadequate manpower and inadequate overhead releases to the hospital were some of the challenges encountered by the hospital during the period under review.

“I wish to assure you that with prudent management of the available resources, every effort will be made to attend to the welfare of staff. It will be on the front burner of management in 2023.

“By 2023, the hospital electronic medical record will have become fully operational; this will enhance the quality of our services to our patients and also block all possible forms of leakages in the system,” he said.

A staff from the pharmacy department of the hospital, Dr Christopher Ugwu, lauded the medical director for the numerous achievements recorded within the period under review and expressed optimism that 2023 would be better.

Mr Ugwu, however, suggested that the hospital should consider recognition of the impacts and achievements made by the various unions existing in the hospital going forward, as that would motivate the morals of the unions.

The event featured presentation of awards to no fewer than 18 outstanding staff of the hospital. 

(NAN)