By Adetokunbo FAKEYE
Nigeria – The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, on Tuesday, 14th January, 2024, re-emphasized that, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s healthcare agenda prioritises healthcare as a fundamental right for all Nigerians.
Dr. Salako, who stated this during his first official visit and commissioning of projects at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, also revealed that the Federal Government is strengthening the tertiary healthcare system to address medical tourism.
He said, “As you all know, provision of effective, qualitative and accessible healthcare is the second pillar of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative designed to implement the agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to treat healthcare as an urgent matter of right for all Nigerians”.
While commending the hospital for playing a crucial role in the healthcare system, contributing to the success of the government’s significant investments in the sector, the Minister said, “With these new additions, the tertiary healthcare system in our country is being strengthened and the need to travel outside the country for some critical care service like kidney transplantation is being addressed”.
His statement, “Today, I will be commissioning a ward extension building and a new clinical services complex. The ward extension building as I have been informed features a well-equipped 64-bedded facility that includes private rooms, semi-private rooms, and open wards and is designed to help alleviate the challenge of inadequate bed space in the hospital.
“A new three-story ultramodern clinical services building with a dedicated renal unit furnished with 18 hemodialysis beds and equipped to commence renal transplantation programme at this centre in a couple of weeks has also been constructed.
“These infrastructures are without doubt critical additions to the vision of Federal Medical Centre, Jabi to be a world-class hospital. Let me therefore congratulate the management and staff of this hospital for this important milestone.
“As you know, buildings and equipment alone cannot deliver quality healthcare without a responsible, responsive and well-trained staff. Before patients experience your infrastructure, they will first experience your humanness right from the gate and their experience will be impacted more by the level of empathy and civility they receive. I urge you to always pay attention to these attributes, even as you maintain your professionalism and clinical competence.
“For us at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, our priority is on the outcomes rather than the outputs, the results of work, rather than the work itself. We will therefore be paying more attention to the quality of care and patients experience when they visit your facilities, rather the sophistication of your equipment and infrastructure.
“With the rejuvenation of the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee, we will be paying more attention to the standard of tertiary facilities (private and public) in the country. Also, the ongoing initiative to deepen digitalisation of processes in our tertiary healthcare institutions through the Nigeria Digital in-Health will be used to leverage more on digital technology for better feedback from patients and put more emphasis on quality of care in our facilities,” he emphasised.
The minister also assured that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would continue to provide support through appropriate policies and resource.
He, however, urged the hospital’s management and staff to prioritise patients by providing top-quality service.
Below is the full address of the minister at the occasion.
AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE HONORABLE MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH & SOCIAL WELFARE, DR. IZIAQ ADEKUNLE SALAKO, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS OFFICIAL VISIT AND COMMISSIONING OF PROJECTS AT FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE ABUJA ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025
PROTOCOLS
It is my pleasure and honor to be with you today for my official familiarisation visit and to commission the ultramodern clinical services building and ward extension complex recently constructed in this hospital. Let me use this opportunity to wish all of you a happy new year.
As you all know, provision of effective, qualitative and accessible healthcare is the second pillar of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative designed to implement the agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to treat healthcare as an urgent matter of right for all Nigerians. I am happy to see that the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi is playing its part as a critical element of the chain at the tertiary care level and justifying the heavy investments being made in the health sector by the current administration. With this new additions, the tertiary healthcare system in our country is being strengthened and the need to travel outside the country for some critical care service like kidney transplantation is being addressed.
Today, I will be commissioning a ward extension building and a new clinical services complex. The ward extension building as I have been informed features a well-equipped 64-bedded facility that includes private rooms, semi-private rooms, and open wards and designed to help alleviate the challenge of inadequate bed space in the hospital. A new three-story ultramodern clinical services building with a dedicated renal unit furnished with 18 hemodialysis beds and equipped to commence renal transplantation program at this centre in a couple of weeks has also been constructed. These infrastructure are without doubt critical additions to the vision of Federal Medical Centre, Jabi to be a world class hospital. Let me therefore congratulate the management and staff of this hospital for this important milestone.
My decision to choose this hospital as the first to visit in the course of my official familiarisation tour reflects the special position of the hospital in my heart and its strategic importance to the tertiary healthcare agenda of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. Let me urge you management and the dedicated staff of this hospital to always put the patient at the centre by delivering top quality service to your clients at all time. As your know buildings and equipments alone cannot deliver quality healthcare without a responsible, responsive and well trained staff. Before patients experience your infrastructure, they will first experience your humaness right from the gate and their experience will be impacted more by the level of empathy and civility they receive. I urge you to always pay attention to these attributes even as you maintain your professionalism and clinical competence.
For us at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, our priority is on the outcomes rather than the outputs, the end results of work, rather than the work itself. We will therefore be paying more attention to the quality of care and patients experience when they visit your facilities rather the sophistication of your equipments and infrastructure. With the rejuvenation of the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee, we will be paying more attention on the standard of tertiary facilities (private and public) in the country. Also, the ongoing initiative to deepen digitalization of processes in our tertiary healthcare institutions through the Nigeria Digital in-Health (NDHi) will be used to leverage more on digital technology for better feedback from patients and put more emphasis on quality of care in our facilities.
Let me also use this opportunity to appeal to all of us especially the management of the hospital to keep this new buildings and equipments well maintained, well serviced and ensure optimal return on the investment. Let us ensure they continue to serve the people of our beloved country for years to come by being more preventative rather than reactive in the maintainance of this new infrastructures. My assurance to you is that The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will continue to support you with the right policy environment and mobilization of resources as required and possible.
As part of the Federal Government efforts to make dialysis care more affordable, the government last year commenced an initiative to bring down the cost of dialysis by about 80% in 10 selected Federal tertiary health institutions across the 6 geopolitical zones of the country. Going Forward, FMC, Jabi is now a good candidate to join the implementation of this initiative. Though this a temporary measure, it is expected that with the unlocking the value chain of the healthcare sector agenda of Mr. President, the removal of tarrifs on pharmaceuticals and other critical inputs in the sector and the expansion of the National Health Insurance coverage, the affordability challenge around healthcare services will be more sustainably addressed.
In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, for his support of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and for making these important projects possible. Once again, I thank all of you, the management and staff of the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi-Abuja, for your hard work and dedication. I urge you to continue to put in your best in the full awareness that Nigeria appreciates what you do and God Almighty values your service to humanity.
Thank you all for listening and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Iziaq Adekunle SALAKO Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare
Abuja, January 14th, 2025.