The District Head of Kware, Alhaji Muhammad Dan’iya, has expressed excitement over the integrated health service introduced in the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital (FNPH) Kware in Sokoto State.
Dan’iya made the comments on Monday when he led traditional council members on the facility tour guided by the hospital’s Medical Director, Prof. Shehu Sale.
The monarch commended the management over the feats achieved and urged them to remain steadfast in providing affordable and excellent services to patients.
He described the array of services, standard modern equipment, and qualified professionals present in the hospital as a pride to the community, Sokoto state, and the nation at large.
According to him, the projects will also deliver improved healthcare to the hard-to-reach communities, in line with the government’s commitment to provide essential healthcare services.
He further commended Sale over the transformations and conferred on him the traditional title of ‘Zaruman Kware’ (Warrior of Kware) in recognition of his excellent performance.
Responding, the Medical Director said the hospital currently hosts about 20 visiting consultants, who are specialists in different medical fields.
Sale said that there were also resident doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and other related health workers that are working together as a team to provide efficient services.
He added that the hospital provided integrated healthcare services to the people besides psychiatric care adding that treatment of all forms of illnesses, medical tests, and other services are being provided at all times in the hospital.
“The hospital has world-class equipment such as mobile digital x-ray machine, mobile ultrasound machine, ultrasonography machine, digitalized medical and diagnostic records system, occupational therapy equipment and modern laboratory tools, ” Sale revealed.
He disclosed that the Federal Government had also funded new major projects in its intervention programs and projects that were completed and already impacting positively on service delivery in the hospital.
These, he said, included the construction and equipping of an intensive care unit, the construction and equipping of a molecular laboratory, the construction, of an isolation center, and the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment.
Sale noted that total bed space and staff strength had been increased, while the restoration of full accreditation status to the Post-Basic Psychiatric Nursing School at the hospital had been done.
He said the hospital ensured a digitalized finance and administrative record system, along with a steady solar-powered and conventional electricity supply.
Sale further said the management renovated and upgraded all wards, including the administrative block and staff quarters in the hospital to modern standards, and embarked on the construction of gates, perimeter fence, road networks, street lighting, laboratories, and a pharmacy.
Sale said the Federal Government had constructed a Regional Women and Children Drug Dependence Treatment Centre in the hospital, which would cater to the diverse health needs of the vulnerable sub-population.
He added that the center, along with the established family health clinic would address the negative perception of people about mental health issues and reduce the stigma, associated with hospital services.
Sale, a Master Trainer with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, expressed optimism that the clinics would strengthen mental healthcare delivery in the country, lamenting that the stigma associated with mental health discouraged people from seeking help.