FG approves free diabetes treatment for children in government hospitals - Health Minister

 The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, says the treatment of diabetes in children is free in all the government hospitals.

Chukwu said this during the Ministerial Platform on Thursday in Abuja.
``I know a number of hospitals that are implementing the policy of federal ministry of health; we issued a policy statement because we have to do things we can afford.
``what has killed this country before is that we were handing what we couldn’t sustain.
``Right now the policy of federal government is that for children who are diabetic, they gave their insulin free in all our hospitals.
``So I am telling you if some CMDs are not implementing it,  that is the policy we put on papers `for children with diabetics Federal Government  Hospitals are providing the insulin free of charge, we have started with that’.’’
Chukwu said that in Jan. 2012, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital recorded a breakthrough in the infusion of sell cells into sickle anemia patient.
He said laparoscopic surgery had commenced at the Federal Medical Centre, Gombe and that Geriatric Units had also been established in Federal Tertiary Hospital.
The minister said in 2012, three hospitals carried out kidney transplant which are Lagos University Teaching Hospital, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital and St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos.
He said open heart surgery had resumed in Nigeria at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Ozala, Enugu State after eight years.
``This year we resumed open heart surgery at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Ozala, and we are making efforts to ensure most people do not travel abroad again for medical treatment.
``For eight years we have not been able to do any open heart surgery, but the country has been striving to improve on its health services,’’ he said.
Chukwu said microsurgery of the brain had also commenced in the country at the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia.
Others are total knee and hip replacement at the National Orthopaedic Hospitals in Enugu, Igbobi, Lagos, Federal Medical centre Yenagoa and University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
The minister said cancer screening was free in all the Federal hospitals adding that the vaccine of Human papillomavirus (HPV) cost N500.

He said the government would still strive more to provide quality and affordable health care to all Nigerians adding that with such people would no longer go aboard for treatment. (NAN)