‘Federal Neuropsychiatric hospital received only 27% of capital subvention in 2013’

He made this disclosure when members of the House of Representative Committee on Health led by Abdulsalam Adamu went on their last oversight function for last year to the hospital.Dr. Lateef told the members that this led to lack of ability to execute prime capital projects that will improve universal access to quality and affordable […]

He made this disclosure when members of the House of Representative Committee on Health led by Abdulsalam Adamu went on their last oversight function for last year to the hospital.
Dr. Lateef told the members that this led to lack of ability to execute prime capital projects that will improve universal access to quality and affordable mental health care to Nigerians. He noted that it also significantly slowed the progress of on-going projects.
Speaking further, the medical director mentioned that the present overhead subvention to the hospital is too low to meet the commitments of the institution; adding that the hospital is at present unable to meet its payment obligation to companies responsible for security, compound cleaning,  horticulture, electrical and plumbing works among others.
As part of challenges facing the hospital, Dr. Lateef lamented over abandonment and unpaid bills of indigent patients, which he said are depleting the little overhead and meagre revenue that the hospital is trying to generate.
“These patients are brought in to the hospital by their relations and we admit them but at the point of discharge, we don’t find the relations again. They leave us to keep treating, feeding and washing the clothes of the patients with the hope that when they come, they will settle the bill but they will never come back. Sometimes, we have to trace their home address, fuel our ambulance to deliver them to their relations and by the time we do that, they will just promise that they will come and settle the bill but we will not see them,” he said.