In an attempt to advance the digital inclusion strategy of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, (NDEPS) being championed by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency and Federal Neuro-Psychiatric, Hospital, Kaduna have today begun process of training patients of the hospital with mental health issues.
The collaboration on capacity building would ensure that the mentally impaired patients of the hospital undergo specialized Information Technology skills as part of their rehabilitation process which would be beneficial to them and make them relevant to the society.
The Medical Director of the Hospital, Prof Abdulkarim Yusuf who led members of the hospital to NITDA Corporate Headquarter, Abuja informed that the main purpose of their visit to the Agency was to request for intervention such as internet connectivity, computer facilities and specialized training for patients of the hospital.
“It has become necessary we come to you because our mandates require provision of education for nursing and postgraduate students. Above all, due to the nature of the illness of our patients, there is need to instill ICT teaching in them.”
He said majority of the patients of the hospital suffer mental issue because of drug and substance abuse which are now prevalent in the society and training them on digital skill would drastically reduce their frequent consumption of substances.
“Doing this will have multiplier effects on their well-being and would make them acquire skill and by that we will be achieving our mandates of providing are and service to them,” he observed.
The NITDA Director General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE while granting the twin requests of the hospital, said the Agency would ensure the capacity of the staff and that of the patients are enhance in line with the digital inclusion strategy of the Agency.
He said, “NITDA is established to develop the IT sector general and in developing IT, we have responsibility to ensure that all Nigerians irrespective of the status benefited from what we are doing. This is part of our digital inclusion strategy. We have been doing this for prisoners, People Leaving with Disabilities, women and children but we never had the opportunity to train your patients and I think this is an opportunity we should explore because we don’t want anyone to lag behind.”
He stated further that mental case patients can be rehabilitated and become beneficial to the society. He enjoined the hospital to identify the digital skills the staff and the patients would likely needed so the Agency could come up with modalities while the intervention project for the hospital should be left till next budgetary year.
