Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa on Thursday revealed that the Federal Government has approved a 50% electricity subsidy for public hospitals across the country to help them cope with their humongous electricity bills.
Alausa announced this at the National Neo-Psychiatric Hospital in Barnawa, Kaduna State.
He also commissioned the Electronic Health Records and Alternative Power Supply at the Lawal Jafaru Isah Emergency Complex and the solarisation project at the dialysis unit, which includes a solar-powered borehole and a 10.2 KVA inverter at the Abdulkareem Jika Yusuf COVID-19 Intervention Centre in the state.
The Minister said the 50 per cent electricity subsidy was aimed at reducing the running costs for public hospitals and alleviate the impact on patients.
The Minister also revealed plan to rename federal government owned hospitals as Specialist Hospitals to broaden healthcare service delivery.
“We are going to change the names of our Federal Hospitals to Specialist Hospitals to expand care delivery and destigmatize hospitals so that everybody can come here. While the core services will remain psychiatric, this re-naming will allow for the continuous expansion of services,” he said.
On the ongoing warning strike by resident doctors, Alausa noted that is complicating efforts to secure the release of kidnapped doctor Ganiyat Popoola
The Minister however call for calm as he assured the hospital management that the abducted doctor would return soon.