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National policy on emergency achievable only if....CMD FMC, Asaba

Chief Medical Director (CMD) Federal Medical Center (FMC) Asaba, Dr Victor Osiatuma has expressed the view that the Federal Government's policy on emergency would only be feasible if there are proper financial backings for the scheme. Osiatuma who spoke to Journalists in Asaba on Thursday on the national policy on health, said that if not properly managed, the policy could give rise to series of unpaid medical bills, adding that it was difficult to sustain in the current situation in health sector. Recall that Federal Government had given standing instructions that many patients brought into government hospitals on emergency should be given medical attention within the first 48 hours. But Osiatuma explained that “if they are not able to pay, there is no fund for such money to be written off, and as at today, we do not have such that is why when they are discharged, we tell them to source for it, and if it's emergency as result of road accidents a lot would be offered to ensure treatment” and recommended the increment in funding of the health sector for successful emergency treatment policy. On allegation of illegal charges in the hospital, the CMD dispelled as untrue, saying that only card for N600,00 which he added had been affordable, especially in the present time cost of printing. On the increased rate of maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the country, Osiatuma explained that the huge challenge in the health sector calls for urgent intervention and reiterated that expansion of medical facilities and infrastructure would go a long way in reducing the high rate of maternity, infant mortality in the country. He said: “we have maternity complex but would be choaked when no expansion and at present we have 1,000 patients and we have only ten beds in our delivery room and the phase one of the maternity complex of FMC Asaba is ongoing and they are in three phases, the project would take two to three years to be completed and in neo natal unit, we have just 20 incubators which is the only functional neo natal unit in Asaba.”   Read the full article