17th November, 2018
Dr Celsius Undie, the Medical Director, Kelina Hospital, Abuja, has called on institutions, individuals and other stakeholders to partner with hospitals to reduce the cost of surgeries in Nigeria.
Undie made the appeal on Friday in Abuja.
He said that with partnership and financial support from stakeholders, more patients would be able afford the cost of surgeries to improve their health.
He said that his hospital was ready to collaborate with any agency with the aim of lowering the cost of surgeries for patients to make it possible for more people to have surgeries.
“Surgeries are expensive, if any agency is ready to make it easier for us to have payment to get manpower training and to make life easier for average Nigerians we are ready to collaborate.
“The hospital is collaborating with Surgical Foundation. When surgical foundation came on board we called all our patients who have prostrate cancer and have stopped coming for treatment because it is expensive.”
According to Undie it is frustrating for a Medical Doctor when a patient does not have money or support to do his or her treatment.
Undie said that Surgical Foundation had collaborated with the hospital, and spent more than N50 million supporting poor people.
He also urged government to help to reduce the cost of importing medical facilities into the country.
He said there were charges that healthcare providers and healthcare institutions have to pay to government before importing medical equipment.
“You have to get approval from NAFDAC, Standard organization of Nigeria, even for equipment that is certified and standardised all over the world. We have to pay fees.
“What we need to do is to collaborate with standard and certified organization in the world because we don’t even have the technology to taste the equipment but NAFDAC want to re-certify,” he said.