Dr Ikrama Hassan, Chief Medical Director of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) Lafia, says Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the health sector would enhance efficiency in service delivery in Nasarawa state.
The CMD who stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lafia, said the specialist hospital has adopted PPP initiative due to its enormous benefits.
Hassan said that DASH had entered into partnership and allowed private investment in its Radiology and Laboratory departments.
He added that the partnership in the two departments was a pilot one and would be extended to other departments for the overall development of the hospital.
“Due to limited machines in the laboratory, some investigations in the hospital take two to three days for the results to be ready because of the number of people in the waiting list.
“But with the initiative, the partners would supply more equipment and machines thereby making it possible for results that usually takes two to three days will now be ready within few hours,’’ Hassan added.
He stated that the state government had provided state-of-the-art facilities and structures in the hospital, but want more investment from the private sector for efficiency in service delivery.
He explained that the state government recently spent billions of naira in buying equipments and building more structures.
The CMD listed some of the machines procured by the government and being put to use to include; ventilators, Computed Tomography (CT) scanner, data and mobile x-ray machines, echo machine among others.
He expressed optimism that the PPP would work, because it had worked in other states and was working in other sectors in Nasarawa State.
Hassan said that a lot of private investors had indicated interest, but the government through the management of the hospital selected those with quality and affordable services.
“We want to ensure that the hospital have the machines to carry out all tests and investigations that were hitherto referred to other hospitals,’’ he said.
The CMD also commended the state government for introducing state Health Insurance Scheme and urged the public especially civil servants to embrace it given to its huge benefits.
Hassan said that the health insurance scheme would ensure that residents got easy access to quality healthcare services at minimal cost. (NAN)
