Martins Ifijeh
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has pledged to rehabilitate infrastructural facilities, especially road networks, in the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, as part of plans to improve healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
The minister who made the pledge while on a working visit to the hospital, said AKTH deserves more government support considering the specialised healthcare services it offers like kidney transplant, general renal care, vascular and endoscopic surgery and the sought after ernomous accident and emergency unit of the 700 bed- facility by patients in Kano and its environs.
Adewole urged the Chief Medical Director, AKTH, Prof. Aminu Zakari Mohammed to operate the facility as a referral centre rather than a general hospital.
He said: “Let the world know what you are doing here in terms of renal dialysis, so publicise your services. This is the right way to check medical tourism. Funds would soon be released to the hospital to assist in offsetting the payment of her outsourced services.â€
He however advised on the need to centralise revenue collection in the hospital to ensure effective management and accountability.
Speaking, the CMD said the hospital, equipped with a high number of dialysis machines, with some dedicated to HIV and Hepatitis care, had successfully carried out 40 Kidney transplant since 2002.
Mohammed however listed some challenges faced by the hospital to include; declining budgetary allocation, staff shortage and uncompleted capital projects, amongst others.
He commended the minister for his good leadership and support for the hospital.
