Orthopaedic Hospitals Management Board Act under review
BY SOLA OGUNDIPE
irector Special Projects, FMOH, Dr Folake Ademola -Majekodunmi (middle) flanked by CMD, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Wahab Yinusa (left) and CMD National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze, during the stakeholders’ meeting on review of the Act governing the management Boards of national orthopaedic hospitals
To enhance the state of orthopaedic health care and services in the country, the Federal Ministry of Health, is undertaking a comprehensive review of the Act which governs the management boards of the National Orthopaedic Hospitals in Lagos, Kano and Enugu.
Disclosing this to Good Health Weekly last week, the Director Special Projects, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Folake Ademola -Majekodunmi, said the goal was aimed at enhancing the operational systems of the institutions.
Speaking during a 2-day stakeholders’ meeting on the review . Ademola-Majekodunmi, who represented the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Linus Awute, said orthopaedic hospitals have a mandate to look after all aspects of orthopaedics and allied sub-specialities.
At the meeting which held at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Lagos, she stated that the three hospitals have had an Act in operation since 1979
“This is 2011. Between then and now there have been several changes and expansions in terms of the infrastructure, the structure and the personnel and review of the Act. There is need to create other directorates so people can move to the highest level in their professions.”
She said the way the hospital boards are composed must be reviewed because the composition as it is currently, limits what they have to do.
Ademola-Majekodunmi noted that over the years, the apex ministry had taken note of all the obsolete clauses that have hampered smooth running of the three hospitals, and was determined to rectify the clauses once and for all, in order to make the staff happy. “As a result of the clauses, some staff have not been able to realize their heartfelt desires in the civil service,” she noted.
“When these hospitals started, their scope was limited, now we have so many sub-specialities within orthopaedics and as result there are many more specialists working and this law that we have presently makes provision for just the medical director at the directorate level. The next person is the head of clinical services and may not be up to that level.”
Continuing, Ademola-Majekodunmi said the objective is to enhance operations of the hospitals to deliver effectively and bring their services at par with other hospitals in the world. “We want to look at the composition of the Boards of these hospitals because we need to have excellent orthopaedic services to produce a skilled workforce.”
The Director, who noted that the Act would henceforth be reviewed
