The Yobe State government spends around N360 million every year on free dialysis services at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital (YSUTH) in Damaturu. Baba Goni, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, shared this information during an interview on Thursday.
Mr Goni mentioned that the hospital offers between 600 and 700 free haemodialysis sessions monthly through this program, which started in 2017.
He explained that the hospital's monthly spending on the program is N30 million.
"In dialysis, you donât count the number of patients because one patient can have two or three sessions in a week," he said.
"The cost of dialysis per session in other teaching hospitals is about N50,000, excluding the cost of drugs, laboratory tests, and admission when needed."
Mr Goni noted that the state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a reliable company that supplies dialysis consumables to keep the treatment going.
He also mentioned that the hospital carries out free fistula surgeries to give patients with Chronic Kidney Disease access for treatment.
Vascular surgeons are invited to perform these surgeries, and the hospital covers the costs and buys the necessary supplies.
The CMD added that a water treatment plant and five more dialysis machines have recently been added. This brings the total number of working dialysis machines at the hospital to 11.
Mr Goni stated that plans are underway to set up another dialysis center at the Specialistsâ Hospital in Gashua, known for high kidney disease cases in the state.
He explained that the new dialysis center is included in the 2026 budget, showing the state governmentâs commitment to the project aimed at helping the people.
"Recently, we traveled to Ghana with the Commissioner for Health to negotiate with partners to bring in these dialysis machines and train our nurses and medical engineers who will maintain them," he said.
"Very soon, people will start enjoying these services there, so they wonât have to deal with the hassle and cost of coming to Damaturu for treatment."
Mr Goni asked the public for understanding regarding the planning and implementation of government projects, noting that these processes often take time.
He announced that a preliminary report on the 2025 kidney disease research, funded by the state and conducted in Gashua, will soon be presented to Governor Mai Mala Buni for necessary action.
However, he stated that the report would be carefully reviewed before any conclusions are made since making decisions on unclear matters could affect the economy.
"Sometimes the report may suggest actions that could impact the economic livelihood of the communities. We donât want to do that if we are not fully convinced because poverty is also a problem."
Mr Goni recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, communities were locked down, leading to harsher consequences than the virus itself as many people could not provide for their families.
He also shared that in 2018, the state and the Urology and Nephrology Centre in Mansoura, Egypt, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to train doctors and specialists at the YSUTH on kidney transplants.
He mentioned that although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the program, efforts are being made to get it back on track.
Drop your comment
No comments yet â be the first to drop the gist đ