To aid in the improvement of the nation’s healthcare system, the Federal Government has asked religious leaders to reform its hospitals.
This plea was delivered on Tuesday at the commissioning of the cutting-edge hemodialysis machines and other equipment presented to the Federal Medical Center by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Abuja by Engr. Adebiyi Olufunsho, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health.
Olufunsho recalled that, in the past, Missionary Hospitals were among the largest hospitals in Nigeria, and asserted that the restructuring would contribute to alleviating the workload of public hospitals.
He stated, “In those days, one of the best hospitals you see in Nigeria are missionary hospitals.
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our religious leaders to go back to those old religions and revisit the construction of hospitals that would be affordable to the average Nigerian.
“I appeal to our rich men and wealthy Nigerians to come to the aid of our health centres. The population is enormous. Government is trying, but the population is quite enormous.”
According to Olufunsho, the machines they donated will help Nigerians get the care they need by providing excellent clinical service delivery. They include three state-of-the-art haemodialysis machines and three electrics chairs, plus two patient monitors and two infusion pumps. They also donated three syringe pumps and two incubators for babies.
“I strongly believe that this medical equipment will go a long way in preserving and elongating the lives of our patients who are suffering from kidney and infant-related conditions. With these new additions, the hospital will be able to treat more renal patients timely, and also more infants will benefit from the incubator care.”
He pleaded with the hospital administration to maintain the maintenance of these life-saving devices because doing so would be less expensive than buying new ones.
Elder Gifford Nielsen, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in West Africa, stated in his speech that the church has provided humanitarian relief in Nigeria and that it has donated $27 million to various initiatives around the country.
Nielsen noted, “Over the course of the last few years, the Church has developed a special relationship with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health as part of our humanitarian efforts.
“During this time, we have donated $27 million to various projects throughout Nigeria.
“These projects include collaboration with the Nigerian Eye Foundation, the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, and the World Health Organisation. We are expecting to donate an additional $3.5 million in 2023.”
He added that his church has consistently supported the Ministry of Health by funding key projects that will “benefit the people of Nigeria and contribute to the social, economic, and spiritual health of each of the states and the country as a whole.
“Today we will help relieve some of the burden of our medical heroes, ease the suffering of our fellow Nigerians, and save lives.”
