JUST IN: Health Minister appears before senate, briefs on state of teaching hospitals

Minister of Health, Professor Issac Adewole, on Tuesday, briefed Senate on the state of Federal Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria.

The Senate had summoned the minister, over the “poor quality” of teaching hospitals in the country, following the introduction of a bill during Wednesday’s plenary by David Umaru from Niger East, on the state of hospitals.

The lawmaker cited a media report which detailed “widespread cases of poor electricity supply, obsolete medical equipment and decayed infrastructure” in the hospitals.

He said: “Several stakeholders in the health sector have recently raised the alarm on the declining quality of services in Nigeria’s teaching hospitals amidst cases of overcrowding and lack of adequate funding and personnel necessary for optimal performance.

“Most teaching hospitals in Nigeria have been overstretched, forcing patients to sleep on bare floor, plastic mats and other unhygienic conditions that put them at the risk of contracting other ailments.

“Patients with terminal illnesses such as cancer and kidney failure are now compelled to travel long distances to access chemotherapy and dialysis at very high cost due to the absence of the requisite medical equipment for such services within their vicinity.”

Details shortly…