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Posted on: 05:46 Sat, 02 Apr 2016
The Minister of Health in Nigeria has
admonished hospitals to put the task of saving lives ahead of their financial benefits which is the major obligation of health institutions.
Health Minister Prof Isaac Adewole, Friday
directed tertiary hospitals across the country to save patients’ lives first during emergency cases before demanding for money according to the Nation.
Adewole, spoke during a facility tour of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said people’s lives were more important than the money being demanded before treatment.
According to him, accidents, among other
emergency cases can occur at anytime, so
patients should not be refrained from accessing treatment. Adewole advised hospitals not to allow patients stay beyond a day at the
Accident and Emergency (A and E) ward to
enable them have room for other new patients
on emergency.
He urged LUTH management to ensure that the poor receive treatment, stressing that the hospital should operate a social system to enable it know those that are genuinely poor.
“We cannot continue to turn poor patients away from the hospitals. The poverty indicator shows that 60 to 70 percent of Nigerians is poor.
This means about 100 million people are poor in Nigeria. So, we will provide basic care through the primary health care (PHC) system for Nigerians,†he said.
He lamented poor funding of the health care,
saying there was chronic underfunding of the
sector. Moreover, Nigerians and the media
should take the fight to increase health budget
to the front burner because health is wealth.
“The sick cannot make the country strong,†the
minister said. He charged patients with minor
ailments to visit primary health care (PHC)
centres rather than going to teaching hospitals.
Prof Adewole said Nigeria needs 140
radiotherapy machines, adding that the seven
machines now available were inadequate.
“Only two or three presently work at a time. Poor
power supply has marred our effort to keep the
machines running regularly. If power improves,
the equipment will last longer,†he said.
He charged people to improve their lifestyle,
exercise and eat healthily. Besides, they should
have regular checkups.
“Many late cancer cases cannot be cured.
The Minister of Health in Nigeria has
admonished hospitals to put the task of saving lives ahead of their financial benefits which is the major obligation of health institutions.
Health Minister Prof Isaac Adewole, Friday
directed tertiary hospitals across the country to save patients’ lives first during emergency cases before demanding for money according to the Nation.
Adewole, spoke during a facility tour of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said people’s lives were more important than the money being demanded before treatment.
According to him, accidents, among other
emergency cases can occur at anytime, so
patients should not be refrained from accessing treatment. Adewole advised hospitals not to allow patients stay beyond a day at the
Accident and Emergency (A and E) ward to
enable them have room for other new patients
on emergency.
He urged LUTH management to ensure that the poor receive treatment, stressing that the hospital should operate a social system to enable it know those that are genuinely poor.
“We cannot continue to turn poor patients away from the hospitals. The poverty indicator shows that 60 to 70 percent of Nigerians is poor.
This means about 100 million people are poor in Nigeria. So, we will provide basic care through the primary health care (PHC) system for Nigerians,†he said.
He lamented poor funding of the health care,
saying there was chronic underfunding of the
sector. Moreover, Nigerians and the media
should take the fight to increase health budget
to the front burner because health is wealth.
“The sick cannot make the country strong,†the
minister said. He charged patients with minor
ailments to visit primary health care (PHC)
centres rather than going to teaching hospitals.
Prof Adewole said Nigeria needs 140
radiotherapy machines, adding that the seven
machines now available were inadequate.
“Only two or three presently work at a time. Poor
power supply has marred our effort to keep the
machines running regularly. If power improves,
the equipment will last longer,†he said.
He charged people to improve their lifestyle,
exercise and eat healthily. Besides, they should
have regular checkups.
“Many late cancer cases cannot be cured.