The Federal Government has approved a 50% electricity subsidy for public hospitals across the country.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, announced this on Thursday at the National Neo-Psychiatric Hospital in Barnawa, Kaduna State.
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, which includes a solar-powered borehole and a 10.2 KVA inverter at the Abdulkareem Jika Yusuf COVID-19 Intervention Centre in the state.
Alausa said this gesture aims to reduce the running costs for public hospitals and alleviate the impact on patients.
He also announced plans to rename the hospitals as Specialist Hospitals to broaden healthcare service delivery.
“We are going to change the names of our Federal Hospitals to Specialist Hospitals to expand care delivery and destigmatize hospitals so that everybody can come here. While the core services will remain psychiatric, this re-naming will allow for the continuous expansion of services,” he said.
Alausa noted that the warning strike by resident doctors is complicating efforts to secure the release of kidnapped doctor Ganiyat Popoola from the hospital staff quarters.
He appealed for calm and assured the hospital management that the abducted doctor would return soon.
