By Olaleke ASHAFA
The Board of the National Hospital, Abuja (NHA), has urged the Federal Government to prioritise rehabilitation of the hospital equipment and its expansion for effective healthcare delivery.
MRS Patricia Etteh, the Board Chairman and Former Speaker, House of Representatives, made the call in an interactive session with newsmen prior to the commissioning of the newly upgraded six-bed executive wing of the hospital on Thursday in Abuja.
Etteh explained that the hospital, which was established in 1999 with 200 bed then, was strategically designated to cater for 10,000 people annually, adding that the facility currently with 420 beds was catering for 170,000 patients annually.
According to her, most times the hospital is overwhelmed with number of patients and often are unable to cope thereby overstretching the equipment and facility.
“At this stage if the hospital has not reached pathogenic stage, it needs proper refurbishment, it need to be taken care of and there is need for the obsolete equipment to be revitalised and expanded.
“The hospital is well placed at the nose of the high and mighty of the country and I believe with that we should enjoy more facilities, more budget to be able to cope with the situation of the country,” she said.
Etteh restated that the cancer centre, though best in Africa, but not functioning well due to poor funding of health sector.
She therefore urged the Federal Government and National Assembly to give priority attention to funding of the health sector generally with regards to budgetary allocation.
According to her, health is wealth and if not properly funded every other sector will be moribund because without good health nobody can cope in any other sector.
She emphasized the need for government to look critically into the health sector with regard to appropriate funding.
