LUTH wears new look as FG renews focus on health sector

BY ABIODUN ABEGUNDE

Over the years, Nigeria’s health sector has faced a lot of challenges including rise in noncommunicable diseases, limited access to healthcare/essential medicines and decaying infrastructure.

Worried by these concerns, the Federal Government, in February, took decisive steps to address some of the challenges.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved 1.07 billion dollars for health sector reforms under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE), programme.

The Federal Government also approved a N4.8 billion allocation for HIV treatment, prevention and care.

Mr Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, said the International Development Association (IDA), provided two concessional loans of 500 million dollars each, alongside 70 million dollars in grant funding from other international bodies.

Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, also said that the HOPE programme aligned with the administration’s agenda to strengthen human capital development.

“This financing will support recruitment, training and retention of healthcare workers and teachers at the subnational level,” Pate had said.

One health institution that has enjoyed the fall-out of this encouraging development is the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

In tandem with the Federal Government reform in the sector, LUTH is currently undergoing both fundamental and physical transformation.

According to its Chief Medical Director, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, several projects are currently ongoing at the institution. “Government is allocating lots of money to upgrade infrastructure here.

“Aside the physical transformation of infrastructure going on, the Federal Government has also allocated funds for medical equipment upgrade,” he said.

According to him, the biggest wards in LUTH – E3, E5 and E7 – with two wings on first, second and third floors and a total of 240 beds, are undergoing a massive upgrade.

Adeyemo said that wing comprised 30 wards each and 90 in total, adding that the renovation was being fully funded by the Federal Government.

He said that Wards E7 and E8 were in the private wing for out-patient and in-patient with the same design pattern on the structures.

In the same vein, the Chairman, Medical Advisory committee (CMAC) of LUTH, Dr Ayodeji Oluwole, said that a new geriatric building for the elderly was on going. “It is also fully funded by the Federal Government.”

Oluwole said that the building was a three-storey structure which would attend to old people.

He explained that some elderly persons did not really need treatment in the hospital.

“All they need is a place where they could stay among their peers,” he said.

He said that such houses were scarce in Lagos.

According to him, the upcoming geriatric building in LUTH will aid treatment and attention for the elderly.

He also said that transformation in Wards E6, E5 and E3 was equally ongoing, fully funded by the Federal Government and comprised medical and surgical wards.

Oluwole added that the labour ward, new neonatal units, Accident and Emergency (A&E) units were also undergoing transformation.

He disclosed that a family had also keyed into the Federal Government’s transformation of the health institution by transforming the Physiotherapy Department of the hospital where work was ongoing.

According to him, the department has solar/inverter power system, swimming pool, hydrotherapy facility, Gyms for adult and children and a clinic. It also has a seminar room, offices, radiologist centre and ultra sound as well as ramp for easy movement in and out of the facility.

Speaking on the ongoing transformation of the institution, Dr Rufus Ojewola, the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory committee (DCMAC), LUTH, said that the old out-patient building being renovated by the Federal Government and facilitated by the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, would link the new and old out-patient buildings.

Ojewola said that there would be a skywalk (a bridge that would connect the two buildings), noting that the new building, which had five buildings with ramp and 254 clinic rooms, was across the road.

He said that the new Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) Centre, for the treatment of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, had three floors and work was ongoing.

Ms Omolola Fakeye, Director of Administration, expressed happiness over the ongoing transformation of the hospital. She, however, said that the major challenge bedevilling the hospital was power.

Fakeye said that the hospital had to rely on an alternative energy supply which was solar, and hoped that before the end of the year, the solar would be properly installed.

Meanwhile, a patient in the hospital, Mrs Gladys Opene, said that the turn out time for patients had become faster. Mr Godfrey Njortene, a visitor to the hospital, agrees with Opene.

“The time frame for attending to patients in the hospital is short; I also observed that throughout his stay in the hospital, there was no power outage,” he said.

Several other patients in LUTH and residents of Lagos State had equally commended the ongoing infrastructure reform in the teaching hospital with many describing it as “a significant investment”.

They are of the opinion that aside from the quick turn out time for patients, the reform will impact other areas of healthcare accessibility to residents.

According to stakeholders, the intervention will help to ensure that more skilled personnel handle medical emergencies and routine in order to reduce strain on existing healthcare workers and enhance service delivery.

They advise that the Federal Government should continue to invest more in the health sector with a view to curbing medical tourism