COVID-19: Ekiti Teaching Hospital procures muilti-million Naira equipment to combat health issues
Adewole Kehinde
In order to ensure that the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI) matches up with the novel challenges of health issues around her immediate environment, especially the Coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world, the Management have procured Medical equipment worth millions of Naira recently.
The state of the art equipment were injected to the key departments in the health institution to boost medical services to the teeming population in and around Ekiti State.
Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Professor Kunle Ajayi who spoke with newsmen at the weekend during the on- the- spot assessment of the new gadgets said the procurement was made possible through the cooperation of critical stakeholders in the institution.
He listed some of the newly procured equipment to include; Sysmex 5 Parts Hematology Analyser, Automated Chemistry Analyzer, Automatic blood Culture Machine and Automated Semen Analyzer among others.
The CMD explained that the intervention had reduced the level of waiting time for laboratory results without compromising standards, thus improving patients’ care in the hospital.
Professor Ajayi explained that the management devised a novel way of expanding the revenue base of the institution which eventually assisted it in meeting some immediate needs.
He stressed that prudent management of the little resources accrued to the hospital was the secret of the feat attained in the last two years.
The hospital’s theatre named after one of its deceased staff TUNDE ALADESANMI is now a three star ultra modern Theatre complex. The edifice now has a refurbished Recovery Room, Theatre Manager and Nurse Station.
A huge new Accident & Emergency Unit being built by the management is also nearing completion.
Ajayi, however, disclosed that the hospital in spite of the huge investment still run the cheapest medical services compare to others in the region.
Speaking about his vision, Professor Ajayi said; “In the next two years, I want to see a Hospital where every member of staff has taken ownership of its vision and mission statements, corporate culture and systems.
This type of envisioned workforce will imbibe the cherished code of global best practices in their respective areas of specialisation.
“I also think we shall be better positioned to serve our teeming patients. The immediate target which we are almost achieving is encouraging commitment of officers of the hospital to their responsibilities. Our host community more than ever in history are showing more interest in the progress of the hospital. ” he added.
He disclosed that the community’s recent donation to the hospital was simply: “a reciprocated gesture of our honest efforts at repositioning the hospital for the socio-economic good of the people.”
Professor Ajayi also hinted of the management’s desire to go digital, saying: “We have actually commenced the process for the automation of our processes. We have engaged with some financial institutions in respect of hospital bill/revenue collection so payments will no longer be cumbersome.
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“Our Health Information Department is also getting support towards automation. Every 21st century hospital must aspire to automate its system and processes. Those who fail to do that in the past have been overtaken by events.
“They became stale and irrelevant to the demands of time. We have to look at where the world is going and calibrate our processes. Automation of our hospital isn’t a tea party. This is because of factors that have their roots in the defective foundation of the hospital. With the respect there are some technical gap in the design or physical planning of the hospital but this will not stop us from forging ahead” Ajayi reiterated.
A plastic surgeon, Dr. Kunle Babalola who is the head of the Surgery Department in his remarks, described the project as a responsible response to the yearnings of the hospital’s theatre users.
His words: “The operating suites now reminded me of my experience in Austria as FETHI’s Theatre suites are almost approaching the standard of a Five- Star Hospital.
“This timely project will no doubt impact positively on the training service delivery and revenue generation of the hospital. For me, it is a win- win thing. The patients, the training and the hospital are the main beneficiaries” Babalola noted.
According to him, Professor Ajayi in his mission statement said “I want to see a hospital where patients can walk in, and be sure that he or she is safe because of the availability of contemporary cutting edge and state of the art medical facilities, right mix of Clinicians across medical and non- medical fields, human workforce and friendly environment. I am longing for a hospital that has patient restoration as its primary objective and core mandate “
Mrs. Funsho Adelegan, the Head of Human Resources said: “the institution under the current leadership has zero tolerance for indolence and mediocrity. The hospital has never had an inclusive and robust human and staff capacity development scheme, like we had in 2019.
“The creation of the directorate harps on the need for strict adherence to rules. We are dispassionate, ethical and professional in our operations. Health Attendants, Physicians, Information Officers, Photographers, Nurses Laboratory Scientists and others benefited from the board’s benevolence in Staff Capacity Building.” She added
