By Ade Phillips
Dr. Olugbenga Owoeye, Chief Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, has revealed a significant 100% surge in admissions for psychiatric patients over the past year..
Speaking during the hospital’s annual scorecard presentation in Lagos on Wednesday, he attributed this rise to various socio-economic factors, with the nation’s economic challenges taking a prominent role in the increased admissions.
He said, “It can be deduced that in 2023, the total number of all patients’ attendance increased by three per cent. There was a seven per cent increase in new cases attended, compared to no increase in 2022.
“We also have a 100% increase in admission cases in which the drug abuse cases is 10 per cent increase and discharge cases is reduced by 10 per cent.”
Mr Owoeye stated that within the period under review, the hospital completed the administrative building, Yaba; rehabilitated the internal roads and drainages in Yaba including Oshodi annexe of the hospital.
He listed other achievements of the hospital to include: the rehabilitation of hospital wards, Yaba and Oshodi annexe; ongoing construction of work on the tele-psychiatric centre in the hospital; upgrading of the physiotherapy department; the ongoing construction work on the out-patients clinic in the hospital among others.
Identifying inadequate manpower and funding as the two major challenges the hospital faced within the year under review, Mr Owoeye stated that the exit of the country’s health professionals in search of greener pasture hugely affected the hospital’s manpower.
He therefore called for a system to be urgently put in place to replace those who left the system to reduce the bureaucratic bottlenecks.
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