Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, is established to meet the tertiary healthcare needs of Nigerians. In this interview by Sade Oguntola, its Medical Director, Professor Adewale Musa, speaks on how he intends to revamp the 24-year-old institution.
This hospital (FMC)was established in 1993 to provide qualitative, innovative and community-all round healthcare. How far has the hospital been able to achieve this mandate?
Having gone through what I met on ground and the handing over notes on resumption on 10 July, 2017, I am quite convinced that we have been doing quite well. Do not forget that Federal Medical Centres (FMC) are often rated as advanced general hospitals. But as a hospital, we had gone an extra mile by starting residency training in different specialties of medicine. This had attracted specialists to train these resident doctors. More or less, we are like teaching hospitals.
In terms of quality medical services, we have been rendering this. Groundbreaking surgeries such as the separation of Siamese twins, correction of heart abnormities had been ongoing in this hospital even before I came. But lack of funding and equipment to continue such surgeries had been a challenge. Now, the plan is to resuscitate many of these surgeries.
How do you intend to achieve all these?
On resumption of duty, only two of the hospital’s eight theatre suites were functional. So, quite a lot of surgeries had to be postponed. Now, the other six theatre suites had been made functional. Hence, surgeons can have adequate number of hours to operate. So, the number of patients leaving for other hospitals to have their surgeries done is grossly reduced.
How many surgeries can be done in a day? Are the surgical cases now coming back to the hospital?
There has been tremendous increase of in-flow of patients to the hospital. For example, as we speak, during my rounds to the casualty department, the place was so jam-packed that I ordered that more seats be brought for patients.
We are the only federal tertiary hospital in the state and you can imagine the plethora of doctors and specialists in this hospital. So, the common saying among the people is go to FMC, Abeokuta, whether you have money or not, you’ll be treated. They have the confidence in us, they are seeing the results, so people are patronising us.
Now, we do no less that 40 surgeries a day, this is aside emergency cases that require surgical operation. Also, clinical attendance at our outpatient departments had also increased tremendously.
Are there other services that have been revamped to improve patient care at FMC, Abeokuta?
Before now, the male medical and surgical wards were together, same as the female surgical and medical wards. We had separated these wards. The wards were there, but they had no beds and other furniture. We have fully equipped them, and as such we can cope with the increased number of surgical cases.
Also, a big building meant to house dental, physiotherapy, ophthalmology and Ear, Nose Throat departments will become functional by the end of this month. The money to equip the place will be made available.
A leader must lead by example. I get to my office at about 7.30 am and I do not leave until it is about 9.30pm. When a patient is coming to the hospital, his intention is to meet the doctors. So, I have shown that as a leader. Aside this, I created my own unit of general surgery to add to the existing two units of general surgery. Although, despite my primary assignment as the hospitals’ sole administrator, I still run my clinic, carry out surgical operations, and ward rounds. This, for me, is to lay an example for others to follow.
How is the FMC, Abeokuta coping with indigent patients?
I met quite a lot of people who had been discharged, but could not go home because they could not pay their medical bills. Some had been there for over three months. But, I must thank Alhaji M. Ola-Yusuf, who since my inception as the Medical Director had been paying for these indigent patients. It is something that we really appreciate.
Unfortunately, our social health workers found some of them were fakes. But definitely, we do write off their bills after they have paid some considerable amounts.
On humanitarian grounds, waivers on some payments are also given to indigent patients. Sometimes, waivers are also extended to accident victims brought in unconscious, whose relatives are not around to support them till they come.
Once the bills are piling up, the nurses have also been mandated to encourage patients make more deposits so as to prevent disruption of services. Now, cases of those who are unable to pay are reducing by the day.
What is your agenda for the hospital on assumption on duty?
I came in with a nine-point agenda. One is to run a transparent government; and two, plan is also ongoing to take health services to rural centres in the state. Already, I had visited all the local governments in the state.
For example, at Obafemi Owode and Yewa North local government areas, there are abandoned community health centres that we are planning to resuscitate and get our staff to provide services for the community.
An efficient laboratory services is core to good clinical service, any plan to revitalise this?
We are partnering with multinational companies on this and they are ready to support us on this with state-of-the-art equipment in our laboratories.
Already, MoUs had been signed on these, after the PPP desk in Abuja had given us the go-ahead. Once these equipment are installed, our services will further improve.
We are also considering partnering with multinational drug companies to get more drugs into our pharmacy department. We know that the exchange rate is quite high and most of these good drugs are quite scarce in the market.
Any further plan to transform the FMC, Abeokuta?
Quite a lot of FMCs across the country are making attempts at becoming proper teaching hospitals, but had been unsuccessful. However, Ogun State government has been very magnanimous to give us 170 hectares of land to build a Federal Medical Teaching Hospital, just about five kilometres ahead. Its C of O is with us.
Already, there are interests from Turkey, Egypt and UK to partner with us on the Federal Medical Teaching Hospital /University of Medicine and Medical Science, Abeokuta. This would be the university arm of the hospital for the initial training of medical students, nurses, pharmacists, among others.
How did you come about this?
Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has been quite magnanimous. During a courtesy visit to him, I requested for two things– reconstruction of the hospital’s network of roads as well as connection to the national power grid and public pipe-borne water. He promised to do all these. About N20 million is spent on power generation, including diesel, monthly. Connecting us to the national grid will ensure regular power supply and cut cost.
He also went on to add to two other things. He promised to renovate our Isolation Ward to the world standard as well as this land for the Federal Medical Teaching Hospital.
Lagos is congested, so any outbreak can easily spill over to Ogun State. I would have expected the Federal Government to also give us an isolation centre like the one in Irrua. We had just done with Ebola virus and then came Lassa fever. Now, we have monkeypox. We do not know the one that is next.
When is the construction of Federal Medical Teaching Hospital/ University of Medicine and Medical Science starting?
We are awaiting the regional planner to help us map out the master plan and survey. Once these are out, maybe in the next two to three weeks, we will start construction.Of course, we intend to also seek assistance from financial institutions and philanthropists on this.
Are there new areas the hospital might also be venturing into?
At FMC Abeokuta, we want to collaborate with other centres outside Nigeria on heart surgery, kidney transplant and assisted reproductive technology. A family is donating N500 million to the hospital and this will be committed to developing these services. What is important to us is the functionality of these centres when they become operational and not the size of the building.
and then