The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has pledged to improve service delivery in all its hospitals.
Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Abubakar Tafida disclosed this to newsmen after inaugurating two committees that would improve governance of effective health care services in the FCT.
The committees are FCT Change Management Team and FCT Sustainable Health Supply System (SHSS) which are chaired by the Secretary and Director, Pharmaceuticals in the Health Secretariat, Boniface E. Ikwu, respectively.
Tafida explained that the two committees were key in providing oversight function, as well as technical support to FCTA’s Drug Revolving Scheme and were “integral part of how well FCT health care system works and how well our services are been delivered”.
In his words: “With the support of our technical partners, we have succeeded in planning for all our commodity needs for all the total 247 health facilities within the FCT.
“At the initial stage, we intend to to take 82 Primary Health Centres, as well as our 14 main tertiary and General Hospitals, by providing them all they need, in terms of drugs, consumables and commodities at affordable prices and of good quality.
“And at the same time, we have succeeded in harmonising the cost of the drugs across board in all our public health care facilities, and we are quiet happy that the FCTA is very supportive in giving us all we need in order to ensure that these sat least, 80 to 90 percent need of the supply needs of all our facilities. teps have been taken successfully”.
The Secretary who noted that the FCTA’s main medical store could currently provide only between 50 to 60 percent of drug needs, expressed confidence that, at least, 80 to 90 percent supply needs of all FCTA facilities would be achieved “in the next few months.
“We have reviewed the cost of services to be provided, and have also standardised the cost of the drugs, which are very critical in ensuring that transparency and accountability is being considered in what we offer to the people of the FCT”.
According to Tafida, key aspects of the reforms include central payment of locum staff which is now centrally done, with efforts to recruit them into the main system, as well as arrangements for the provision of diesel to major facilities to reduce their expenditure in running the hospitals.
Another major reform is that the FCTA “graciously granted mostly overheads to all the facilities available based on their cadre”, thereby removing “a lot of encumbrance and financial commitments for the hospitals. They can now look inward, set up structures and provide the needed quality services to the people of FCT.
“A strengthened Drug Revolving Fund system would essentially improve the quality of services to be provided to the people, and ensure that all drugs and consumables are accessible to the at the hospitals at affordable cost and of good quality.”
Tafida stated this and added that procedures for laboratories and surgeries would also be standardised and harmonised to ensure uniform cost within all FCTA public health facilties.
The Director, Pharmaceuticals who doubles as Chairman, FCT DRF Sustainable Health Supply Chain Committee, Boniface Ikwu noted that the DRF was the backbone and main machinery put in place to ensure sustainable supply of drugs in the health care services.
According to him, the mechanism involves buying and selling of drugs, in a manner that revolves the money within the system, without allowing it to go out.
Ikwu hoped that with the Secretary and Minister very passionate about the reforms, residents should expect a positive change soon.
He also disclosed that, the Administration was also working on establishing Drug Management Agency (DMA), which would enable the FCTA deal directly with drug manufacturers thereby offering residents the best, at lowest price and on time.
