In order to ensure
healthcare delivery to Nigerians, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole
has said directed that all accident and emergency cases should be treated
within 24 hours in Lagos University Teaching Hospital ( LUTH).
 |
(Second left) Prof. Innocent Ujah, the Director General of
the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos; Minister of
Health, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole (Third left); Christopher Bode, Chief
Medical Director (CMD), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba,
Lagos State( Fourth left) and others during
a media briefing on Friday, at LUTH, Idi-Araba,
Lagos State
|
Addressing journalists at LUTH, the minister said that
"the hospital should operate a system that will evacuate patients within
24 hours. Once first aid treatments have being given to a patient, the patient
should be moved to the ward.
"If the emergency unit is congested, it will not be
able to attend to emergency cases. The situation I saw this morning is not
encouraging."
He said the Accident and Emergency unit which is the face of
the hospital should be fully active adding that no one will get good credit if
the emergency cases are not responded quickly.
The Minister also stated that "we cannot deny poor
Nigerians medical care because they do not have the means. We are going to
cater for the genuinely poor Nigerians until a form of health scheme is put in
place to cater for the poor. We beg Nigerians not to deceive and ruin the
system.
"This is so because about 60 per cent of Nigerians are
poor and cannot afford medical care. We want to use the primary health cares to
address this issue.
"The Federal government wants to reposition the health
system, where 70 per cent of Nigerians will go to primary health care centres,
25 per cent can go to secondary health care centre and five percent can visit
LUTH and other tertiary health care centres and by that way the system will
work."
On the issue of Lassa Fever, Adewole said about 60 percent
death have being recorded in Nigeria, stressing the need to improve on the
laboratories in the country.
The minister however appreciated the Chief Medical Director,
CMD, of LUTH for rehabilitating the water equipment plant that have been
abandoned for over 25 year now.
He charged the media and Nigerians to fight for the health
sector by calling for more funding into the sector.
