Why Healthcare FM and Health Service Delivery are Fraternal Twins in Nigeria

From the global to national and regional to national rankings, the Nigerian healthcare system has not been portrayed as being the best in terms of access to critical health facilities at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The negative representation of the country’s health system has also been premised on the fact that processes leading to healthcare service delivery are not standardised enough.

As long as facility management companies are expected to provide support services to individuals and businesses, Infoprations believe the companies have significant roles to play in changing the country’s healthcare system narratives. The country’s poor healthcare status must be changed through the effective management of infrastructure facilities, catering, cleaning, waste management, security, laundry services, the clinical staffing practices and health care processes.  Infoprations’ checks revealed that FM companies need to devise a special awareness campaign for the users of health facilities especially doctors, nurses and other practitioners. Beyond this, FM companies need to be on the toes of concerned stakeholders towards the functionality of critical health facilities in some states. For instance, analysis indicates that adult weighting scale, Thermometer, child weighting scale, stethoscope, infant weighting scale, sphygmomanometer, autoclave, electric boiler/steamer and electric dry heat sterilizer at the government hospitals in Bauchi, Cross River, Imo, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Taraba states need urgent attention.

Evidence has also established that “most public hospitals do not have a policy framework for outsourcing in general and FM services, in particular, giving room for duplication of functions and non-establishment of functional FM units to handle FM activities.”

Facility management companies need to deploy their resources towards innovative healthcare FM solutions delivery that would improve the country’s health efficiency status, life expectancy and reducing healthcare expenditure on preventive and curative health services.