Government earmarks N11.7b for upgrading of teaching hospitals, says Minister

Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, at the weekend revealed that the sum of N11.7 billion has been earmarked for the upgrading of the various teaching hospitals in the country.

This is even as the minister disclosed that out of the two hundreds cancer screening machines that the nation requires for the screening of patients, the nation can only boast of only seven.

Out of these seven available machines, Prof Adewole said only two were functional.

The Minister disclosed these while fielding questions from journalists in his office in Abuja.

He pointed out that the N11. 7 billion was not adequate for the upgrading of the said hospitals considering the present high cost of items in the country.

On the issue of the cancer screening machines, the Minister observed with sadness that the nation could only boast of seven of the machines out of the 200 required to screen patients.

He disclosed however that the government has approached some producers of the machines with a view to getting more. He specifically named Varial and Electral as some of the companies that have been approached.

The agreement between the government and the two companies, he said, will last for nothing less than ten years.

Parts of the agreement is for the approached companies to supply spare parts for the repair of the broken down machines.

The Minister, while saying that the government can not do it alone, expressed the firm optimism that government is in a good position to handle most of the cancer cases.

Prof Adewole however said cheerfully that 40 percent of cancer cases can be handled effectively if detected early enough.

Speaking on the recent case of lassa fever in Abeokuta in Ogun State, which has led to the death of a nurse, the Minister described the development as particularly worrisome.

He disclosed that about 350 people who had contact with the late nurse are currently being monitored by the government.

The Minister therefore warned, sternly, that no doctor should treat malaria patients without proper diagnosis.

He equally dismissed claim that there is a resurgence of polio in the country, saying “no resurgence in polio case in Nigeria “.

He revealed the the Ministry of Health has screened over 500,000 Nigerians for diabetes so far.

In addition, Prof Adewole said his Ministry has provided nutritional support for about 200, 000 malnourished people in Internally displaced people, IDP, camps across the country.

He added that up to 10, 150 free surgeries have been offered to indecent Nigerians, stressing that free surgery will continue next year.