The House of Representatives Committee on Specialty Healthcare led by the chairman Hon. (Dr.) Alex Egbona, on Tuesday August 27th visited the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital (FNPH) Benin as part of its oversight tour of specialty healthcare institutions and agencies within the South-South geo-political zone, which include Edo State. Part of the committee mandate is to assess the operations of these institutions.
Speaking during the visit, the chairman of the committee, Hon. (Dr.) Alex Egbona, stated that the visit was aimed to inspect capital projects, assess the compliance of procurement processes, review internally generated revenue (IGR) and overhead releases from the Federal Government, and evaluate expenditure, particularly the 2023 approved budget of the three major specialty hospitals under the committee’s jurisdiction in the South-South: Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Benin, National Orthopedic Hospital Benin and National Obstetric Fistula Center Benin.
Hon. Egbona emphasized the committee’s responsibility to identify the challenges facing the after mentioned institutions and to proffer solutions or recommendations for improvement. He urged the medical directors to seize the opportunity to articulate the challenges facing their respective hospitals.
In his address, the medical director of FNPH Benin, Dr. I. O. Agbonile warmly welcomed the committee and expressed his gratitude for their visit. He used the medium to highlight several achievements recorded under his leadership, including improved infrastructure, a peaceful working environment, procurement of digital machines, construction of a state of the art laboratory, enhancement of staff welfare, and the installation of solar energy in all wards. He also noted a significant improvement in our internally generated revenue, which has increased by over 100% since his appointment as medical director.
Furthermore, Dr. Agbonile mentioned the expansion of the hospital’s staff clinic into a full-fledged general medical center, a strategic move aimed at addressing the stigma associated with mental health services. He also outlined some of the key challenges facing FNPH Benin, including high electricity cost, inadequate overhead vote, the need for expedited release of funds to complete the ongoing construction of the medical center and the issue of patient abandonment by relatives among others. In response, Hon. Egbona, along with committee members Hon. Ahmed Saba, and Tordue Nyibe (clerk to the committee), commended Dr. Agbonile for the significant strides made, they assured him that the issues raised would be presented before the House of Representatives for prompt legislative intervention.