The Federal Medical Center (FMC) Abuja will soon begin subsidizing dialysis treatment for patients with kidney diseases.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the commissioning of a clinic service building and ward centre.
He explained that dialysis would be done at 80% subsidy to ensure that dialysis care is made more accessible and affordable to Nigerians.
Government initiative to reduce dialysis costs
Salako stated that in 2024, the Federal Government launched an initiative to reduce the cost of dialysis by about 80% in 10 selected federal tertiary health institutions across the country.
“Going forward, FMC Jabi is now a good candidate to join the implementation of this initiative,” he said.
He explained that the provision of qualitative and accessible healthcare services is the second pillar of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (HSRII).
Salako noted that HSRII was designed to implement President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of treating healthcare as a right for all Nigerians.
“I am pleased to see that FMC Jabi is playing a critical role at the tertiary care level,” he said. “It is justifying the significant investments being made in the health sector by the current administration.”
The minister said with the federal government efforts to strengthen the tertiary healthcare system, Nigerians would not need to travel abroad for critical care service like kidney transplant.
“These infrastructures are without doubt critical additions to the vision of Federal Medical Centre, Jabi to be a world class hospital, “Salako emphasized.
FMC Abuja’s new facility improves healthcare services
Also speaking, Dr. Saad Ahmed, the Chief Medical Director of FMC Abuja, stated that the new facility aims to improve the provision of quality healthcare services to the community.
“The clinical service building houses our dialysis and transplantation center, pathology laboratories, offices, and a state-of-the-art conference room,” he said.
- He also mentioned that the ward extension will provide additional bed spaces for patients, helping to alleviate the challenges associated with limited admission capacity.
- Ahmed also announced the addition of a new neurosurgical operating microscope, which he said would greatly benefit patients requiring brain surgery.
- He highlighted that several other projects are underway to ensure the hospital can sustain its mission for many years to come.
- However, the facility is facing challenges, including the exhaustion of available land for expansion due to an increasing patient population and an insufficient oxygen plant to meet current demand.
The Chief Medical Director, therefore, requested assistance to acquire the undeveloped land around the hospital to address these issues.
Ward extension and clinical services building
Reports indicate that the ward extension facility features a well-equipped 64-bed capacity, including private rooms, semi-private rooms, and open wards, all designed to alleviate the challenge of inadequate bed space at the hospital.
The ultramodern clinical services building is a three-story facility, housing 18 hemodialysis beds and equipped to soon launch a renal transplantation program.
