RSG Floats Private Hospitals’ Support Scheme

The Rivers State Government has announced a financial intervention  scheme to assist private hospitals  in improving on their facilities and operational environment to the citizenry.
The state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike made the plans public when he met with medical practitioners  at Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday.
The meeting  attracted over 1,000 doctors from the public and private sectors.
Wike  declared that the state government will  through a bank loan make available funds to private hospitals  operating  in the state.
According  to  the governor,  the private hospitals loan scheme will cover hospitals in the urban and rural areas, with about 500 health facilities  billed to benefit  from  the  programme.
In his words, “these funds are not for the purchase of drugs. They are meant for the acquisition  of  equipment  and for the hospitals to improve on the operational  environment of their health facilities.
“I am introducing this programme  because  of the  promise I made when I met with  doctors before the elections.  These funds will be accessed by  private hospitals  from across the state”, Wike declared.
He said that the state government will act as a guarantor for all the private hospitals that will access the loans, adding that the state government will pay the interest on the loans  on behalf  of  the benefiting  private hospitals.
“This will not be a programme  for the political  friends of the administration.  It is a reach out to all private medical  practitioners”, he said.
He announced the setting up of a seven-man committee to work out the modalities for accessing the loan, and noted that the loans will be repayable  in three years.
Speaking further, he assured  the doctors that his administration will address the issue of multiple taxation by streamlining the taxes payable to the state and the local government areas.
He directed the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Emmanuel Aguma (SAN) to withdraw the case instituted by the state Ministry of  Environment against  the Association of Private General Medical Practitioners.
The governor assured medical doctors in public practice of their welfare, which includes the purchase of cars, training and retraining of personnel.
In his remarks,  Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association,  Dr Furo Green, commended the governor  for setting up  the  scheme to assist private  medical practitioners in the state.
Green said that this was the first time the state government was intervening in the development of private health facilities.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Rivers State Association of Private General Medical Practitioners, Dr Henry Sota, said that the programme initiated by the governor was God-ordained with the aim of reviving the health sector of the state.