Lagos: The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, on Friday disclosed that the Federal Government has provided free drugs for indigent patients at the hospital.
Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, announced this at a news conference in Lagos.
Adeyemo stated that the free drugs are for treating hypertension, diabetes, and infections among indigent patients.
He explained that the drugs, which had 2028 as the expiration date, were specifically for Nigerians who could not readily pay for their drugs.
According to him, the objective is to enhance access to equitable healthcare.
He emphasised that the drugs were strictly for inpatients and outpatients, including adults and children registered with the hospital.
“The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, under the leadership of Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has given us some supplies of free drugs, specifically for the registered indigent patients of the hospital.
They target common diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and various infections.
He estimated the supply could benefit about 5,000 indigent patients in the hospital.
“This provision is not limited to LUTH alone; I believe that all the 84 federal tertiary hospitals in Nigeria were included, though I’m not sure if they have all gotten.
The CMD said the hospital has set up a committee to make the initiative work, including specifying clear eligibility criteria for indigent patients.
Similarly, we made it work by setting up a small committee to define criteria for identifying an indigent patient.
“And the people who are going to be relevant there include the doctors, who prescribe these drugs; the nurses, who are ever present with patients; the department of pharmacy, as well as the department of medical social work.”
Also speaking, the Director of Medical and Social Services, LUTH, Ms Titi Tade, described the initiative as a “strategic commitment to equitable healthcare.”
Tade said the hospital had a lead criterion for identifying an indigent patient.
According to her, many criteria are involved, including family background, educational history, employment history, psychiatric history, and legal issues.
“So, there are a lot of criteria involved. And we will look at how they interact to determine whether a patient is indigent or able to pay for medication.
For instance, if a person has a mental health condition that prevents them from working, even if they have very high qualifications, they may become indigent.
“However, there are people who are totally indigent. There are also those who become situationally indigent because they spent so much money on treatment at that time,” Tade said.
She noted that about 30 to 40 per cent of the hospital’s patients were indigent, who could not afford their medication.
Mrs Fasilat Akinola, Director of Nursing Services, observed that many patients in the wards are indigent and struggle even to feed themselves.
She said the gesture will greatly relieve many ward patients who feel helpless and cannot pay for their medication.
