FG earmarks N11. 7bn for upgrading of teaching hospitals, says Minister

Minster of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, at the weekend revealed that the sum of N11. 7 billion has been earmarked for the upgrading of the various teaching hospitals in the country. 
This is even as the minister disclosed that out of the 200 cancer screening machines that the country requires for the screening of patients, it can only only boast of seven.
Out of these seven available machines, Prof Adewole, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, said only two are functional. 
The Minister disclosed these while fielding questions from Journalists in his office in Abuja. 
He pointed out however that the N11. 7 billion was not adequate for the upgrading of the said hospitals considering the present high cost of items in the country, pointing out however that the challenges are not insurmountable. 
On the issue of the cancer screening machines, the Minister disclosed that the government has approached some producers of the machines with a view to getting more. He specifically named Varial and Electral as some of the companies that have been approached. 
The agreement between the government and the two companies, he said, will last for nothing less than 10 years.  Part of the agreement is for the approached companies to supply spare parts for the repair of the broken-down machines. The Minister, while saying that government cannot do it alone, expressed the optimism that it was in a good position to handle most of the cancer cases.  
Prof Adewole said cheerfully that 40 percent of cancer cases can be handled effectively if detected early enough. 
Speaking on the recent case of Lassa fever in Abeokuta the Ogun state capital, which led to the death of a nurse, the Minister described the development as particularly worrisome. 
He disclosed that about 350 people who had contact with the late nurse are currently being monitored by the health authorities. 
The Minister therefore warned that no doctor should treat malaria patients without proper diagnosis.  
He equally dismissed claim that there is a resurgence of polio in the country, saying “no resurgence in polio case in Nigeria.”
He revealed the Ministry of Health has screened over 500,000 Nigerians for diabetes so far. 

In addition, Prof Adewole said his Ministry has provided nutritional support for about 200,000 malnourished people in Internally displaced people, IDP, camps across the country. 
He added that up to 10, 150 free surgeries have been offered to indecent Nigerians, stressing that free surgery will continue next year.