The issue of decaying, obsolete, unserviceable and in some cases lack of basic equipment in hospitals and clinics across the country has
forced many patients to seek for help from other sources or remain helpless.
Equipment such as chemotherapy and dialysis machines, ultrasound, the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and complete theatres as well as laboratory equipment are essential for the functioning of any health facility and quality healthcare.
This is because to attend to any patient, a doctor requires basic equipment to diagnose the ailment before prescription while some sicknesses may require further investigation and re-examination to ascertain how to go about tackling it.
There is lack of equipment in some hospitals across the country, especially in some teaching hospitals. Some health institutions have them but idle while others do not have competent hands to operate them, a phenomenon that is threatening the country’s health system.
Zone by zone analysis
Checks on hospitals in the North-east shows that activities of insurgents have taken a huge toll on the sector with physical structures and equipment lacking in most hospitals while existing ones are destroyed thereby leaving most people hopeless.
North-east
In Borno state where cases of kidney diseases seem to be on the rise, the state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, recently
directed the newly-established kidney centre to offer free dialysis to patients.
He gave the directive when he recently visited the Maiduguri Specialists’ Hospital where the state’s kidney centre was set up early this year by his predecessor, Kashim Shettima.
The governor, who went round the facility, directed the state commissioner for health, Salisu Kwaya-Bura, to put in place measures that would make the dialysis procedure free for patients.
The human kidneys perform many crucial functions like maintaining the overall fluid balance, regulating and filtering minerals from the blood, filtering waste materials from food, medications and toxic substances.
Kidney disease is inability of the kidneys to filter blood the way it should due to
damage. People with the condition may not have any symptoms but may experience fatigue, high blood pressure, loss of appetite, malaise or water-electrolyte imbalance.
Other common kidney diseases arekidney damage, abnormal heart rhythm, failure to thrive, fluid in the lungs insufficient urine production, severe unintentional weight loss, swelling for which treatments include transplant or dialysis.
Therefore, dialysis as option is the process of removing excess water, solutes and toxins from patients whose kidneys can no longer perform those functions naturally.
According to him, “The goal is to lessen difficulties low-income earners face in paying the N30,000 fee for each dialysis.’’
The governor also authourised the state Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation to assemble critical stakeholders in health, education and water sectors to speedily invite competent researchers to expand any existing research into the main causes of kidney diseases on the rise in Borno.
He said the state government would finance the research expected to serve as guide towards addressing the causes of the disease rather than limiting focus on dialysis and other forms of treatment.
North-west
Kidney disease patients in Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi have called for the provision of more dialysis machines in hospitals in the states to ease their pains.
They also urged the state governments to invest in the training of health professionals to effectively attend to their needs.
Dr Auwalu Gajida, the acting chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) said, “The hospital is fairly equipped and providing efficient services to patients.
“AKTH just installed a new machine for kidney transplant and so far, we have done
60 transplants.” Gajida said all equipment at the facility is functioning and primary patients have been accessing them.
At the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Kebbi, the head of Clinical Services, Dr Taslim Lawal, said the centre performed two dialysis daily.
According to him, “As a tertiary healthcare service provider and at the same time a primary and secondary healthcare provider, we have functional equipment, depending on the needs of clients.’’
The medical director of the centre, Dr Aliyu Balarabe, said that the facility recorded tremendous achievements in terms of electricity supply, training of staff and generation of internal revenue.
He, however, urged the host community to take ownership of the hospital by investing in it and partnering to facilitate effective healthcare delivery to the people.
A cross section of patients at the centre expressed satisfaction with the condition and services being provided.
Hajiya Fati Isa, who said she accompanied her husband for dialysis said, “We are enjoying the services of the hospital. You can see the suggestion and complaint boxes and the management and staff listen to us and assist us even financially when the need arises.’’
In Kaduna, Dr Tokan Baduku, chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, said the hospital has standard and sophisticated functional equipment, offering services to patients.
In Sokoto, Malam Buhari Abubakar, the public relations officer of Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto, said most hospital equipment was functioning.
He said, “UDUTH has functional laboratories, pharmacy, physiotherapy, radiological equipment and others which facilitate provision of modern services to patients.
“Because of the specialty presence in the hospitals, people troop from various places to obtain medical services.’’
However in Zamfara, a state of emergency had been declared in the health sector and the government said it was taking steps to reengineer public hospitals for greater efficiency. Part of the plan is the massive provision of equipment and getting qualified medical personnel for the hospitals in the state.
The state commissioner for health, Alhaji Yahaya Kanoma, said the government would work with NGOs to address challenges saying, “We are going to facilitate proper coordination and strong partnership with healthcare NGOs to ensure effective health services.”
North-central
In Kogi, Dr Taiwo Jones, head clinical services, Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Lokoja, said the hospital has a functional dialysis machine but it is becoming obsolete due to overuse.
Jones, however, complained that power outage contributes to the continuous breakdown of the machine.
In Nasarawa state, Dr Hassan Ikrama, the chief medical director of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital Lafia, said three dialysis machines were currently operational in the hospital to take care of patients with kidney problems, adding that the state government was in the process of buying more.
In Benue, Dr Enye Agada, head, clinical services, Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, said the management bought new auto-analyzers for both heamathology and chemicalpathology.
“The challenge we have with most of the machines is that they are not built for this environment. They need a lot of air condition.
“We need a lot of energy to cool the machines. As soon as they start showing red light, we put them off. Generally, the equipment is wonderful.’’
Ms Florence Ishaku, the chairperson of Nigerian Association of Nurse Anaestethists (NANA), Plateau State Specialists Hospital (PSSH) chapter said the hospital is in need of modern equipment, including dialysis machine.
South-west
In the South-west Zone, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, the chief medical director, University College Hospital, Ibadan, said the hospital was witnessing extensive renovation and had acquired some state-of-the art equipment for cancer and kidney disease treatment.
The CMD, who stressed the need for public-private partnership (PPP) said, “With the help of the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, we acquired three hemodialysis machines amounting to N30 million which were functioning well and helping people with kidney diseases.”
Similarly, the CMD of Ogun Hospital Management Board, Dr Kayode Olaseinde, said that the facility had undergone great transformation in terms of equipment and other infrastructure in recent times.
He said the fortunes of the hospital changed positively following inspection visit by Governor Dapo Abiodun in June during which he decried the deplorable state of the hospital.
Consequently, he said, the hospital took delivery of medical equipment, including
anaesthetic machines, patient monitors, single and double humidifiers, cardio topographic machine, cardiac defibrillator, wheel chairs, neo-natal resuscitaire, autoclaving machine, suction machine, instrument trolley and gurney trolley in the last quarter of 2019.
Although Olaseinde did not mention if dialysis machine for kidney disease was procured, he said all the new equipment had been installed and currently functioning.
Musa-Olomu, CMD of the Federal Medical Centre Idi Aba in Abeokuta said 70 per cent of equipment in the hospital are in good condition.
He also disclosed that some other equipment was being expected from abroad.
In Osun, Dr Rafiu Isamotu, the commissioner for health, said hospital equipment in the state-owned teaching hospital was in good condition and in full usage.
Isamotu said the state government recently received some equipment from Germany and Canada which he said had so far improved the health management system in the state.
However, a doctor at the General Hospital Osogbo said the state general hospitals had no dialysis machines for kidney disease treatment.
At the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, the CMD, Professor Adekunle Ajayi, said the facility had six dialysis machines serving kidney patients from the state. Corroborating, Dr Olorunsola Popoola, a medical practitioner at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital said the dialysis machines in the facility were working well and serving patients.
South-east
In Enugu state, chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Dr Ike Okwesiri, said that poorly equipped hospitals were common in the country and not just Enugu.
In Anambra, the commissioner for health, Dr Vincent Okpala, said the state government was doing a lot to upgrade hospital equipment at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku Awka and 17 other hospitals across the state.
In Onitsha, investigation revealed that the dialysis centre at the General Hospital, Onitsha, had been locked while nurses, who were working there, had been dispersed to other wards since June 2019 over shortage of manpower and other concerns.
However, the deputy chief medical director, Dr Nnamdi Ekpelinwa, explained that the hospital was undergoing upgrade by the state government.
“The closure is at the state level and I don’t have details about the issue,” he said.
NAN
