By Amos Aar
THE MEDICAL Director (MD), Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, Prof. Joseph Kortor, has promised a downward review of the medical charges of the centre.
Kortor disclosed this during the biennial general meeting of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), with the theme: “The Doctor’s Health: The missing link in health care delivery” on Thursday in Makurdi.
Prof Kortor further pointed out that if the charges were reviewed downward, it would encourage many people to visit the hospital to access healthcare because it would be affordable.
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The medical director pledged to make the centre one of the leading FMCs which would be dedicated and committed to patients care, training and research.
“It is my desire to make the hospital to be outstanding in order to discourage medical tourism. We will ensure that patients have adequate satisfaction anytime they visit the hospital,” Kortor said, as he also lamented that the centre was far behind its contemporaries. He stressed that some of its structures were dilapidated and that it lacked vital equipment.
“In six months, I will give the hospital a facelift. I will ensure that the staff are comfortable in order to give in their best.
Meanwhile, the state chairman, MDCAN, Dr Uche Azuka, lamented that the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA) did not accord medical doctors adequate protection as they deserved considering the fact that the health sector was their primary industry.
“As you all know NHIA has not accorded us adequate protection as we deserve considering that this is our primary industry.
“Our health coverage by the agency is abysmal and incomparable with what obtains in sister federal government institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) among others,” Azuka said.
He further commended the MD for unveiling his vision to them at the meeting, stressing that it was a highly commendable gesture.
“This is an indication that the MD has a clear vision and he is focused for where he wants to take the hospital.
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“I am very optimistic that as all the staff of this great institution queue behind him and key into his vision, the FMC Makurdi is in for a glorious time and will soar to greater heights,” the chairman said.
In his own remark, the Acting Head of Clinical Services, Dr Daniel Aondona, said that they were committed to managing patients to the point that some of them had not taken leave for more than five years.
Aondona encouraged his colleagues to take time off their very demanding responsibilities and relax in order not to breakdown.
