Abubakar Yakubu
3 July 2009
The SERVICOM Office has told the management of Kuje General Hospital to adapt its services to meet the needs of residents in remote areas of the area council, through the introduction of outreach services like ambulance services, health education and counselling for preventive care.
Chief SERVICOM Officer, Dr. (Mrs) Christiana Famro stated this when she presented the result of the evaluation of the hospital's services to the management of the hospital and representatives of the FCT Health Secretariat and Hospital Management Board in Kuje.
She said by extending medical services to rural areas, the immediate communities would benefit appropriately from services that take into account their peculiar environment.
Dr. Famro advised further that the hospital should put in place a plan for systematic consultation with customers, staff and partners, in order to capture and integrate their views towards improved services.
Additionally, she urged the management of the hospital to come up with a customer care policy that would detail how patients would be treated and how they can seek redress on event of unsatisfactory service.
"Frontline staff should be trained on customer care and how to receive and handle complaints. There should be a written complaints procedure to guide customers on how to complain, who to complain and when to expect action and resolution of the complaint," she said.
The Chief SERVICOM Officer disclosed that the evaluation revealed that staff of the hospital do not explain delays to patients, as they complained of waiting too long to see a doctor without any explanation.
She observed further that the reception at the General Outpatient Department (GPD) was found to be inadequate and without requisite amenities like toilets and water. She advised the hospital to make these facilities available for the benefit of their customers.
Dr. Famro however praised the management of the hospital for installing clear directional signs to various service points and the sign posting of desks, saying these made it easier for patients to find their way around the hospital service points.
She was particularly impressed by the use of interpreters at consulting rooms to enable those who do not understand English Language communicate with the doctors.
The evaluation, she said also showed that there were no hidden charges in payment for services at the hospital as only approved prices were charged patients at the designated paying points.
In his reactions to the findings of the report, Chairman of Kuje General Hospital, Dr. Godit Milan promised that the management would implement the recommendations that are within the power of the hospital, saying the implementation of other recommendations was the responsibility of the management board and the health secretariat of the FCT.
Dr. Milan called for recruitment of more staff for the 31-bed capacity hospital and the provision of alternative power supply that was functional and effective due to problems of power.
He described the evaluation as an eye opener and called for more of such to wake services to their responsibility.
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