Health
Hospitals are Established to Admit Sick Patients, Not Turn Them Away: The LASUTH Perspective
By Oluwaseyi Adewale
With good intent, every generation has reasons for taking certain humanitarian decisions for the betterment of the society. This can also be said of the evolution of the Cottage Hospital located in Ikeja, Lagos, which has metamorphosed into the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
The hospital began operations in 1955 as a cottage hospital founded by the Old Western Regional Government to provide healthcare services for the people of Ikeja and its suburbs. A cottage hospital is a small rural hospital with a few beds. This cottage hospital concept is a type of hospital mostly located in the United Kingdom. As the need for quality medicare increased in Ikeja and environs, the hospital was transformed and became known as the Ikeja General Hospital before the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who then transformed it into a tertiary healthcare institution now known as LASUTH.
As is typical of a tertiary institution that aims to become a quaternary healthcare institution in the nearest future, its utmost priority should be in the areas of advanced medicare.
This is supposed to be the core of the healthcare services provided by the institution but there are a lot of distractions because uncomplicated cases that could be handled by the many Primary Health Centres and the 27 General hospitals located across the state are usually brought to LASUTH. As such, this impedes the core activities of the institution. Eighty per cent of cases brought to LASUTH as emergencies are not tertiary cases.
It is very important to add that the management of LASUTH is poised to provide optimal care to all patients that come into its facilities. The ever-recurring tales of no bed space within the hospital have become disconcerting. Currently, LASUTH has a 750-bed capacity and with the bourgeoning cases of emergencies in the state, only 36 beds are available for medical and surgical emergency cases. Unfortunately, the demand for emergency beds is much more than what is available.
Under the leadership of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, the hospital has a policy of not turning any emergency back but in the event no available bed space, first aid is administered to the patient before any form of referral to any other reputable tertiary institution. Prof. Fabamwo noted that the hospital is established to admit patients and not turn them back but when all the beds are occupied, it is not feasible. In addition, it is unethical and unprofessional for patients to be admitted and treated on the floor.
With the strides of the current administration of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the health sector, the Lagos State Government has assiduously improved and empowered the primary and secondary healthcare facilities. A lot of infrastructural upgrades are ongoing. In addition, massive recruitment of health personnel was recently embarked upon at the three levels of health care.
As Lagosians keep thronging to LASUTH, the hospital keeps expending both human and material resources on primary healthcare cases rather than the serious and complicated cases that the hospital should be focused on delivering. Also, Lagos, as the most populous state in the country and with the influx of more people into the Centre of Excellence, massive strain is constantly on its healthcare resources.
In the 4th quarter of 2021, the total number of visits to the hospital was a total of 50,959, 3,861 were in-patients on admission, while 47,098 were out-patients. 2,658 patients admitted have been discharged. The percentage of bed occupancy averaged 98% approximately.
As an institution that is keen on improving its services, the hospital commenced the use of bed space managers who ensure speedy transfers of stable patients from the Emergency Units to the wards.
As of now, there is a construction of a 200-bed facility within the hospital in progress. In addition, the Lagos State Government has approved massive recruitment of relevant health workers. This process is ongoing.
We appeal to the general public to make use of Primary Healthcare Centres and General Hospitals to ease the burden on LASUTH.
Oluwaseyi Adewale is the Head of the Public Affairs Department of LASUTH
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) says the number of Nigerians enrolled in health insurance has risen to more than 22 million.
The Director-General of NHIA, Mr Kelechi Ohiri, said this resulted from the implementation of the mandatory health insurance, which has gained momentum nationwide.
He said this on Wednesday at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE) in Lagos.
Mr Ohiri said enrolment had increased to 22.03 million, representing a 35 per cent year-on-year growth, attributing this to stronger collaboration with state social health insurance agencies, ministries, departments and agencies, organised labour, employers, the private sector, and the gradual implementation of the mandatory health insurance provisions of the NHIA Act.
He said that the country had moved beyond policy formulation to delivering measurable improvements in healthcare access, service quality and consumer protection in line with the federal government’s health sector reform agenda.
According to him, Nigeria already has the necessary policies and legislation to achieve Universal Health Coverage, positing that the key challenge was effective implementation.
“The decisive variable is now implementation- consistent, rigorous and accountable execution that converts political commitment into healthcare access for real Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Ohiri said that the transition from the former National Health Insurance Scheme to the NHIA had strengthened regulation, consumer protection, accountability and strategic purchasing, while providing the legal and operational framework for achieving Universal Health Coverage.
He added that improving the experience of enrollees remained central to the Authority’s reform agenda.
According to him, NHIA has strengthened its complaints management system, introduced faster resolution timelines, and intensified compliance monitoring of Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) and healthcare providers.
He further added that NHIA had sanctioned facilities that failed to meet the required standards, adding that his organisation had resolved 3,878 complaints, representing an 87 per cent resolution rate, while 95 per cent of the cases were concluded within prescribed timelines.
Mr Ohiri noted that more than N14.2 million had been refunded to enrollees, while non-compliant healthcare facilities had been sanctioned.
He said NHIA had also introduced service standards, including a one-hour treatment commencement target for enrollees requiring urgent care, to improve access to timely and quality healthcare services.
The NHIA boss further disclosed that capitation payments to healthcare providers had been increased by 93 per cent.
He said fee-for-service reimbursements rose by 378 per cent to enable providers to invest more in personnel, equipment and infrastructure.
According to him, 7,592 healthcare facilities have been assessed under the SafeCare quality framework as part of efforts to institutionalise continuous quality improvement across the country.
Mr Ohiri also highlighted interventions targeted at vulnerable groups, including support for more than 48,500 pregnant women, expanded maternal and newborn healthcare services, the Vulnerable Group Fund, and improved access to healthcare for pensioners and retirees.
He said Universal Health Coverage could only be achieved if every Nigerian, regardless of income or location, had access to quality healthcare services.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The new one-hour authorisation response time ultimatum policy introduced by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has received the full backing of SUNU Health Nigeria Limited.
This policy was introduced by the agency to ensure enrollees get prompt approval codes to access care.
Healthcare service providers have been urged to report any Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) that violates this initiative through an email, with the HMO in copy and a timestamp attached as evidence of the request. They may proceed to offer services to enrollees thereafter.
Speaking at the company’s second-quarter Providers’ Forum for the Lagos-Ogun region in Lagos recently, the chief executive of SUNU Health, Dr Moyosore Olomola, expressed optimism that this policy would improve healthcare delivery in the country, especially for enrollees, who crave quality service.
At the event themed Improving Quality and Access to Care Through Stronger Provider Network, and held at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Yaba, Lagos, Mr Olomola reaffirmed the HMO’s commitment to operating within legal and operational frameworks to guarantee adequate care for enrollees.
“Access to care and quality of care remain key priorities in our healthcare systems. We know quite well that deliberate collaboration, strategic partnerships, and a shared commitment to excellence are required to achieve these priorities.
“A strong provider network is doubtless the backbone of any effective healthcare system. It ensures that our mutual enrollees receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place, and at the right price,” Mr Olomola, represented at the programme by the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dr Faith Nwachi, stated.
He further assured that SUNU Health would strictly adhere to the one-hour authorisation limit, stressing that this aligns seamlessly with one of the organisation’s core values—promptness and its corporate slogan, Humanity is the centre of our initiatives.
In a bid to further improve access and quality of care, SUNU Health also demonstrated its new operational software and Mobile app, aptly named SUNU Legacy.
Also speaking at the event, the NHIA Lagos State Coordinator (Ikeja), Dr Bethuel-Kasimu Abraham, noted that the forum’s expected outcome is to significantly reduce delays in accessing medical care.
Other key expectations include ensuring continuity of care, improving patient outcomes, and strengthening accountability among HMOs.
Addressing specific pain points faced by enrollees, the NHIA Ogun State Coordinator, Mr Dare Adefeso, acknowledged that the agency had received complaints regarding out-of-stock drugs and the discrimination of enrollees by certain providers.
He affirmed that the NHIA is actively addressing these issues, stressing that moving forward, every facility must ensure enrollees are properly catered to regardless of their status, provided they have an active health insurance plan.
Corroborating the long-standing legacy of SUNU Health, the Ogun State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs Aishat Tiamiyu, shared that her agency is responsible for public information dissemination and has been enrolled with SUNU Health for over 25 years.
Commending the HMO’s stellar service over two decades, she called for the immediate enrollment of new NOA staff into the scheme.
The Providers’ Forum remains one of the strategic channels employed by SUNU Health to consistently engage healthcare providers, understand their operational challenges, introduce new software updates, and solidify partnerships aimed at fostering premium healthcare delivery across Nigeria.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the recall of a sexual enhancement product known as WAP Sensual Enhancement Capsules.
In a statement on Monday, the Nigerian agency disclosed that the recall is due to “undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients” in the product, whose country of origin is unknown, but is marketed and distributed online in the US through eBay.
It was emphasised that the recall is being “voluntarily” made by the manufacturer, Best Supplements Best Prices Company.
The detection of the undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients was made by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Laboratory analysis by the US FDA revealed that the product contained undeclared sildenafil, tadalafil, and flibanserin, which were not mentioned on the product label. Such substances may include phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors or related compounds commonly used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, the statement by NAFDAC stated.
Sildenafil and tadalafil are ingredients in FDA-approved prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It was noted that these undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates.
Flibanserin is the active ingredient in an FDA-approved prescription drug used to treat low sexual desire in women. Flibanserin can cause drowsiness, sedation, dangerously low blood pressure, and fainting, especially when combined with alcohol.
Consumers have been encouraged to report compromised products (medicines or medical devices) to the nearest NAFDAC office, call 0800-162-3322, or send an email to sf******@********ov.ng.
