Health
DR Usman Abubakar, the Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Bida, in Niger State has denied an increment in the costs of its services saying consultation fee remains N500 and not N3000.
Abubakar refuted the allegation while addressing newsmen in Bida on Wednesday.
He said that the consultation fee remains N500 and not N3000, saying that the fee was paid when a patient wants to see a doctor for consultation.
“The highest amount paid for the consultation fees is N500 and not N3000 as is being speculated, the fee for Ante-natal services paid by pregnant women remains N1000 also.
According to him, first time antenatal mothers were charged a token for a card and a folder to keep their records.
“The folder and the card and all the necessary things needed to keep antenatal records is N1000, no other money is spent for the card or for any record but N1,000” he said.
According to him, the money was paid only once by the antenatal mothers, saying it is for the opening of a folder and a file for record keeping.
He explained that they pay it once and it serves the first and subsequent pregnancies.
Similarly the Medical Director said that the pregnant women also pay N1000 and not N3,000 for utilities , he said the token was for detergent and other consumables.
Abubakar, however, debunked rumours making the rounds that the hospital management fleece patients.
He said that the hospital was established in order to provide quality healthcare service to its host communities, state and indeed Nigerians.
“It is not true that consultation fees and other charges are exorbitant in our centre, we act in our patients best interest.
“On issues relating to antenatal clinics, any woman who is a first timer was supposed to open a card and a folder.
” Antenatal women are required to pay N1000 for utilities, which covers consultation and other things that the healthcare providers will use during the course of her antenatal clinic” he said.
Abubakar reiterated that nobody charged anybody N3,000 as consultation fees for antenatal.
He attributed the little upward review in charges to increase in the cost of hospital consumable goods and other equipment, as well as present economic reality.
He added that the hospital would continue to maintain quality in service delivery for improved healthcare services for the people of the area.
“We don’t compromise standards as we are not a profit making organisation” he said.
He however said that the expenses patients incurred was out-of-pocket expenditure.
“And most of these come from what we call hospital consumables that include things like drugs, liquid soaps for washing hands after using equipment, hand sanitizers, reagents for laboratory tests among other things,” he said.
“We buy these items from the market, it is how much we spend in buying them that patients pay, we are not making profit from these items. We are not a profit making organization.
“If as of last year a test was going for N500 and this year we are charging N1000, which is a 100 per cent increase, it is because the cost of buying those reagents have increased in the market because of the present economic realities.
He explained that the management of the hospital has done away with third parties who are the contractors and suppliers.
“We try ourselves to go to the manufacturers or major distributors, so that we get the lowest prices for our patients, considering the purchasing power of our community without compromising quality.
“You won’t say somebody in FMC Abuja for instance is seeing a consultant and then the quality of care he is going to receive will be different from the quality of care he will receive here in Bida.
”We do not compromise quality even though our charges are cheap,” he said.
Abubakar, however, urged people to verify information before going to the media in the interest of peace and overall development of the area, state and Nigeria in general.
He said that his door remains open at all times for information verification in the interest of peace and for improved health care of the people.
“We also have our website “www.fmc.org”, where we can be contacted and we also have the Service Delivery Unit (SERVICOM) for any complaint.
”They can be approached and if they are not getting the right response they can come directly to me for an explanation” he said.
He commended the Federal Government for giving attention to the hospital through the execution of capital and other projects and called for its sustenance.
The medical director also appreciated the host communities for peace and cooperation the centre is enjoying from the host community.
He commended the Federal Government for giving attention to the hospital through the execution of capital and other projects and called for the sustenance of the gesture.
The medical director also appreciated the host communities for their cooperation with the centre. (NAN)
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Tags: Federal Medical Centre SERVICOM Usman Abubakar
