By Kemi Akintokun

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions, Amos Magaji, has commended the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, Lagos, on its infrastructure development and digitalisation of service delivery to patients.

Magaji  gave the commendation during his visit to the hospital on Friday.

Magaji said: “The story of FMC Ebute Metta is a success story heard from far, now I have seen that what was said about the hospital is the true picture of what is happening here.

“Especially on the digitalisation of their processes and ensuring that patients get swift attention compared  to other government hospitals where people still move with files and the payment process in such facilities are not clean.

“Even with the constrain of space, they have been able to modernise the available space and they have done exceptionally well with the little resources they have.

“For public interest, something will be done to address the issue of space which is a major challenge in the hospital.”

He, however, urged other government owned hospitals to emulate FMC Ebute Metta to make their process more easy and accessible for patients.

On the issue of brain drain, Magaji said policies would be formulated to attract more young people to the medical school and make the environment conducive for them to stay back.

“Most young people presently don’t want to go to the medical school because of the stress involved, we have to make it more attractive for them and another issue is that of residency.

“We also need to look at other things contributing to the ‘Japa’ syndrome in the country and that is why we must make the environment conducive for those that are still staying back,” he said.

He added that efforts were in place to ensure a meaningful increase in the budget allocation to the health sector.

“The budget of Nigeria is generally poor, the Abuja declaration stated that 15 per cent of the country’s budget should be allocated to health but we are yet to get to that level.

“A lot was done during COVID-19 because we discovered that our hospitals were just consulting rooms but COVID-19 made a difference and some of this hospitals were equipped and our health institutions were boosted.

“Hopefully, we are working to ensure that the health allocation match our population,” he said.

Also speaking,Medical Director, FMC Ebute Metta, Dr Adedamola Dada, thanked the committee for visiting the hospital and identifying some of the challenges in the facility.

Dada commended the government for its effort and support to the hospital to ensure quick access to quality healthcare delivery.

“I am thankful to the chairman for his visit to FMC, he has taken his time to walk round the hospital and identify some of the problems and find solutions  to it.

“The challenges will be articulated and sent across to the committee and I am very convinced that they will provide solutions,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the departments visited by the chairman are the paediatric ward, oxygen plant, dental centre,intensive care unit and the molecular laboratory.

Others are accident and emergencies unit, central sterilisation supply unit and the yet to be open cancer centre. (NAN)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran