FG to offer free Insulin to diabetic patients nationwide

By The Citizen

The federal government is to fund the provision of free insulin for diabetes patients in the 56 federal hospitals nationwide.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, told newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday that the drug  was government's way of meeting the health needs of Nigerians, especially in the area of non-communicable diseases.

Chukwu said the government would strive to provide quality and affordable health care to all Nigerians, adding that such people would no longer go abroad for treatment.

'I know a number of hospitals that are implementing the policy of the Federal Ministry of Health; we issued a policy statement because we have to do things we can afford.

'What has killed this country before is that we were handling what we couldn't sustain.

'Right now the policy of the federal government is that for everyone who is diabetic, we give them insulin free in all our hospitals.

The minister added that the government had made it mandatory for all tertiary hospitals in the country to have a geriatric department to meet the health challenges of the elderly.

'We have a policy at the ministry regarding ageing. Now it is compulsory for all federal hospitals to establish a geriatric department if they have not done so.

'We have a policy on geriatric care. We all know that one day we will become old and would need special medical care.

'We also have a policy on some other rare diseases like autism and Down Syndrome. These are diseases that are gradually becoming issues,'' he said.

Earlier in the year, the government had directed that free treatment be given to children with diabetes.