On Wednesday, the Federal Capital Territory Administration introduced the Medical Palliative Scheme to enhance healthcare services in the region.
Under the guidance of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the initiative provided complimentary medical care, including treatment, medication, surgical procedures, and essential provisions, to patients at Abuja’s Gwarimpa General Hospital.
The FCTA emphasized that the scheme is designed to be sustainable, ensuring long-term benefits for the community’s well-being.
Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary for Health Services and Environment, announced that all patients visiting the hospital on the day of the launch would receive free medical tests, treatments, and surgeries, fully covered by the health insurance scheme.
Fasawe said, “It is not news to all of us that Nigeria is going through a tough period right now. We have a government that is not ignorant of this. We have a government that is not pretending not to see what is going on. We have been given food palliatives. A palliative means that we are treating symptoms or a quick stopgap before the whole problem is universally solved.
“We have started to realise that a lot of our patients are coming in sick because the money they should have used to buy their medicines, they are using it to buy food as a result of limited resources, but competing demands.
“So, we got together and wrote a memo to Barr. Nyesom Wike to approve the concept of medical palliative and the minister will not approve unless you show him a sustainability plan, we were able to convince him that the health insurance scheme for the vulnerable, which is a percentage of the country’s national budget, can support us in the medical palliatives scheme. What we have done today here is proof that this can work, it is sustainable, and it is something that has come to stay.”
According to the Mandate Secretary, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has seen a significant increase in health insurance enrollment, with the number of beneficiaries rising from 104,000 to 180,000 over the past 12 months, representing a 73% growth.
“For every single treatment that everyone will get here today will be free. I do not mean only medicines, even the tests that will be carried out will be free. For those on the wards, even the medicines that we would normally write for them to go and buy in the pharmacy will be free.”
She explained, however, that the free medical palliatives will not be provided daily; instead, patients will receive sufficient medication to last for two months.
“If I give you enough medicines to last you for two months, the money you are to use to buy your diabetes medicine or your hypertension medicine, you will allocate into other things so that you can live a balanced life. We always say health is not only the absence of disease, that is also another reason behind the medical palliative scheme.
“A hungry person cannot be a healthy person. Every single patient that comes into this hospital today will get his tests, and his treatments done for free. Even those that need surgery, we will book them for surgery and it will be carried out for free and this will be paid for by the health insurance scheme.
“But you can only benefit from this if you register with the FCT Health Insurance Scheme. The FCT health insurance scheme is a scheme whereby a family of four will pay a certain amount and they will get free health care for the rest of the year.
‘The other advantage of this medical palliative scheme is that it will encourage people to register on our health insurance scheme. Everything that you have gotten today for free if you have the health insurance of FCT, you will get for free on another day where medical palliatives are not being distributed.”
Reacting to the development, Professor Muhammad Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, lauded the FCTA’s move, observing that it aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s vision to bolster the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.
He pointed out that the FCTA’s introduction of the medical palliative scheme is a groundbreaking move, being the first of its kind in the FCT, and urged other states to replicate this innovative approach.
Pate said, “We’ve been working very hard over the last 12 months to improve the health of all Nigerians, and today we’re seeing one more step along with the FCTA under the order of Wike, the Mandate Secretary, and ourselves in the Federal Ministry of Health under the overall leadership of President Tinubu to continue to deliver things that will improve the health and well-being of all Nigerians.
“But we have to do it together with states and we have to do it together with our health workers, and I saw the amazing health workers here in this hospital, and with the exemplary leadership that the FCTA has. Dr Fasawe is an exemplary leader working with Minister Wike, and we in the Federal Ministry of Health are collaborating with them, as we are also collaborating with all the 36 states.”
However, he warned Nigerians against relying on harmful traditional practices for healthcare, particularly during childbirth.
A beneficiary of the scheme, Musa Sani appreciated the FCTA for the initiative.
Sanjay added , “This is the first time I’m receiving this, and it is thoughtful. I hope it can continue so that more people can benefit from it.”
Another beneficiary, Ene Abu mentioned, “Receiving the medical palliatives has been a lifesaver for me. The medications will ease my condition during such a difficult time. I’m grateful for the support and feel more confident in managing my health.”
