The federal government has approved a 50 per cent subsidy on electricity tariff for public hospitals across the country.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa disclosed this on Thursday while commissioning some projects at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital and National Eye Centre in Kaduna.
At the event, the minister commissioned the Electronic Health Records and Alternative Power Supply at the Lawal Jafaru Isah Emergency Complex and the solarisation project at the dialysis unit, comprising a solar powered borehole backed by a 10.2 KVA inverter which comes with a lithium battery at the Abdulkareem Jika Yusuf COVID-19 Intervention Centre at the psychiatric hospital.
He also disclosed the plan of the federal government to change the identities of Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospitals to bear ‘specialist hospitals’ as part of measures to expand care delivery and destigmatise the hospitals for everybody to patronise.
He however added that the hospitals would continue to offer psychiatric services as their core focus, noting that changing the nomenclature will give the facilities the liberty to continuously expand the services.
Dr. Alausa also expressed confidence in the Chief Medical Director of the psychiatric hospital, Dr. Aishatu Yusha’u Armiyau.
He added that the success in the hospital is a testimony to what President Bola Tinubu promised Nigerians during his campaign.
Also, at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, the Minister commissioned Dr. G.O Adejor Optical Show Room and Dr. M.B Alhassan Diagnostic and Laser Unit.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Acting Chief Medical Director of the Eye Centre, Dr. Aminatu Abdulrahman said the Centre was established in 1979 with a mandate to provide specialist eye care services, training of manpower and research for Nigeria.
She said the hospital which has 300 beds situated on 514 hectares of land receives referrals from 36 states of Nigeria and Federal Capital Territory, as well as neighbouring countries.
The Acting CMD said the Eye Centre which has a total of 650 staff comprising 369 clinical and 281 non-clinical workers has about 53,406 out-patients that have been attended to and 4,653 surgeries performed in 2023.
However, while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after the commissioning, the minister said the warning strike by resident doctors was complicating issues for the release of the kidnapped doctor from the Eye Centre, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, but assured of her release soon.
Alausa further expressed the confidence, that despite the poor structure inherited, President Tinubu is engaging state governments to expand projects on Health Science Universities to sustain increase in health sciences enrollment from 24,000 to 100,000 annually.