The Federal University of Agriculture (FUTA) Teaching Hospital, Akure, Ondo State, will soon establish a special support fund to assist indigent patients.
It is designed especially to support vulnerable patients, particularly those requiring expensive care such as cancer treatment, dialysis and other specialised medical services.
The hospital’s chief medical director, Prof. Olusegun Ojo, disclosed this to journalists on Thuesday during a press conference at the hospital compound to mark its first anniversary.
He explained that the fund will be managed through the hospital’s Medical Social Workers Department and will leverage partnerships with non-governmental organisations, philanthropic individuals and other stakeholders.
Ojo lamented that despite improvements in healthcare delivery, many Nigerians still struggle to pay for medical services due to limited insurance coverage and high treatment costs.
He said the fund is intended to bridge this gap and ensure access to care for those who are most in need.
His words, “Healthcare financing is a major problem worldwide. It is not only Nigeria that faces difficulty recovering medical costs. What we have in Nigeria is that we do not yet have a well-developed medical insurance system.
”However, we have an insurance department here doing its best and we also have the state contributory health commission supporting a lot of indigent persons. Beyond that, our administration is looking forward to establishing a fund to support people who are really in need, especially those requiring cancer treatment or other expensive care.
”We intend to have the fund managed through our Medical Social Workers Department to support people who are truly indigent. We want to call this fund the Alaanu Fund, which will assist those who genuinely cannot afford medical care.
”There are also sources of funding from NGOs which we are planning to attract so that patients can benefit from subsidized medical care.”
The CMD further disclosed that the hospital is acquiring modern medical equipment, including digital X-ray systems, CT scans, MRI machines, echocardiography tools, and endoscopy systems, which will enhance the quality of care and support the fund’s objectives.
On the challenge of brain drain, the CMD acknowledged the national challenge of medical staff migration abroad but expressed optimism that FUTA Teaching Hospital will continue to attract specialists through expanded opportunities for visiting, contract, and part-time staff.
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