Nigeria’s Federal Government has approved a 50% electricity subsidy for public hospitals across the nation. This decision, announced by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, aims to reduce the operational costs of public hospitals and lessen the financial burden on patients.
During a visit to the National Neo-Psychiatric Hospital in Barnawa, Kaduna, Dr. Alausa also commissioned several key projects, including the implementation of Electronic Health Records and the provision of alternative power supply at the Lawal Jafaru Isah Emergency Complex.
Additionally, he inaugurated a solarization project at the hospital’s dialysis unit, featuring a solar-powered borehole and a 10.2 KVA inverter with a lithium battery at the Abdulkareem Jika Yusuf COVID-19 Intervention Centre.
Dr. Alausa outlined plans to rename Federal Hospitals as Specialist Hospitals to enhance healthcare services and reduce the stigma associated with psychiatric care.
“We are going to change the names of our Federal Hospitals to Specialist Hospitals to expand care delivery and destigmatize hospitals so that everybody can come here. While the core services will remain psychiatric, this renaming will allow for the continuous expansion of services,” he stated.
The Minister expressed confidence in the hospital’s management, particularly in Dr. Aishatu Yusha’u Armiyau, the Chief Medical Director, highlighting the hospital’s success as a reflection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign promises.
Dr. Alausa also addressed challenges faced by the healthcare sector, including a recent warning strike by Resident Doctors, which is complicating efforts to secure the release of Dr. Ganiyat Popoola, a kidnapped doctor from the hospital staff quarters. He appealed for calm, assuring that efforts are ongoing to ensure her safe return.
He further commented on the mass exodus of medical staff to other countries, stating that the government is working on strategies to engage Nigerian medical professionals in the diaspora.
Despite structural challenges, the Minister revealed that President Tinubu is collaborating with state governments to expand Health Science Universities, with the goal of increasing annual enrollment in health sciences programs from 24,000 to 100,000 students.
Earlier, Dr. Aminatu Abdulrahman, Acting Chief Medical Director of the National Eye Centre, shared that the Centre, established in 1979, provides specialized eye care, training, and research services. The 300-bed facility, located on 514 hectares of land, serves patients from all over Nigeria and neighboring countries, attending to 53,406 outpatients and performing 4,653 surgeries in 2023.
