By Mohammed Baba Busu
Dr. Usman Abubakar, the Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Bida, in Niger State has clarified an increment in the costs of its services.
Dr. Usman Abubakar made the clarification when he addressed 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.
According to him, the highest amount paid for the consultation fees is N500 and not N3000 as being speculated
He also said that the fee for Antenatal services paid by pregnant women remains N1000.
He explained that any woman that is coming to the hospital for the first time is supposed to open a card and a folder to keep her record.
“The folder and the card and all the necessary things needed to keep her record is what she pays N1000 for and it is done throughout her pregnancy and even subsequent ones for her record keeping that will be carried forward,” he said.
According to him, the money was paid only once by the pregnant woman, saying, “it’s for the opening of a folder and a file for record keeping.
“They pay it once and it serves the first and subsequent pregnancies.”
He also said that the pregnant women pay N1000 and not N3,000 for utilities and it’s meant for things like detergents and other consumables.
Dr. Abubakar however, debunked rumour making the rounds that the hospital charges for patients were exorbitant.
He said that the hospital was established 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.
“On the issue of the antenatal clinic, any woman that is coming for the first time is supposed to open a card and a folder.
“The essence is to keep her records, the folder, card, and all the necessary papers needed to keep her records which cost N1000
“She is also required to pay N1000 for utilities, which covers consultation and other things that the healthcare providers will use during her antenatal clinic.
“There is nothing like consultation fees for antenatal of N3000, people should get this aspect right”
He attributed the little upward review in charges to an increase in the cost of hospital consumable goods and other equipment, as well as the 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 standard as we do not profit making organization, “the medical director said.
“But to further clear the air, there is what we call out-of-pocket expenditure, which is what the patient pays for.
“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, and reagents for laboratory tests among other thingThough
“Thought we shop these things from the market, it is how much we spend in buying them that patients pay for” Dr Abubakar averred
The medical director said that morealizedised from all these sales is not for profit making, but to keep the hospital going, adding, ” sincerely the hospital is 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 percent increment, it is because the cost of buying those reagents had also increased in the market because of the present economic realities.
“So, what we have ever done as an institution is to do away with the third party 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 in seeing a consultant in Bida, “NO” we don’t compromise quality even though our charges are still lower than what those people are charging
“Since we are putting into consideration the capacity of our patients to pay for services,” he said.
Dr. Abubakar, however, urged people to verify the information before going to the media in the interest of peace and overall development of the area, state, and indeed Nigeria.
The medical director said that his door remains open at all times for information verification in the interest of peace and improved health status of the people.
“My door is widely open anytime 24 hours, if you have anything, come and seek clarification,” he added.
“We also have our website “www.fmc.org“, where we can be contacted and we also have the Service Delivery Unit (SERVICOM) for any complaints, they can be approached and if they are not getting the right response they can come directly to me for an explanation.
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 of the center for the cooperation and support he is enjoying from them
