Minister tasks federal hospitals on self-financing (So you can steal their budgets)

Posted by admin Headlines Thursday, March 21st, 2013

THE Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has directed all the chief executives of federal hospitals in the country to think of more innovative ways of financing their hospitals’ projects and programmes.

Chukwu also directed them to seek suitable ways and means of having fruitful dialogue with the various professional ranks and groupings recognised by their hospitals’ management, as the current rivalry among the various cadres in the hospital cannot be allowed to continue.

The minister, who was represented by a director in the ministry, Dr. Alex Anayona, spoke Wednesday at the 69th meeting of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Hospitals hosted by the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

He said there was the need to harness all possible income-generating activities and also to block all loopholes and leaks, “but it is equally important to ensure accountability.”

He added: “I have already directed the Directorate of Hospital Services to request all chief executives to submit to my office a detailed rendition of all 2012 income-generating activities as well as the projection for 2013. The 2014 budget proposal must capture expected income-generating activities for 2014.”

Chukwu urged them to begin to think out of the box by exploring all options lawfully available to deal with the challenges of funding, adding that innovative ways of financing health projects include the use of public-private-partnership (PPP).

Accordingly, he has directed all hospitals to get involved in the co-location model of PPP being fashioned out by the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with General Electric, adding: “As you know, this aspect of the fundamental triple obligation you owe to the people and government, namely, research, training and service delivery, is a strategic scorecard for your institutions and indeed the government.”

Chukwu pointed out that he intended to further increase the share of federal tertiary institutions’ sectoral allocation this year. He further urged them to take interest in clinical governance.

“There is need to eliminate morbidity and mortality attributable to professional incompetence,” he said. “In this connection, every chief executive should hold a meeting with the consultants to address issues pertaining to the topic.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Chief Medical Directors, Prof. George Akpede, has commended Governor Jonah Jang for establishing referral hospitals in the three senatorial districts, urging the Federal Government to give adequate budgetary allocations to tertiary health institutions to avoid people going outside the country for treatment.

He corroborated Jang, who said that capable hands are available to handle the cases being flown abroad, “but because of inadequate facilities in the hospitals.”
-Guardianwp_posts