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Minister Inaugurates Renewed Hope Medical Palliative Initiative at Gwarinpa General Hospital Abuja, Aims to Alleviate Medication Challenges in FCT

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, today inaugurated the RENEWED HOPE MEDICAL PALLIATIVE INITIATIVE, the first of its kind at Gwarinpa General Hospital Abuja. This is in addition to the existing medical outreach programs taking place in the Federal Capital Territory.

This program aims to alleviate the challenges in purchasing drugs due to the economic hardship faced by the poor and vulnerable. These financial challenges lead to low compliance by patients with chronic medical conditions like hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus. The program provides medication to these patients for a period of one month, ensuring they receive the desired medications during these trying times.

The desire of the Honourable Minister, FCT, is to give free medication as a palliative so that money a patient would have used for medication is used for other pressing needs.

The program was well designed to ensure sustainability by advocacy to patients who were beneficiaries of the medical palliative. They were advised to take advantage of the FCT Health Insurance Scheme, which has desk offices in all FCTA hospitals. By registering with the FCT Health Insurance Scheme, they will continue to access medical care without out-of-pocket expenditure for medical care as enjoyed during the medical palliative initiative.

It is noteworthy to commend the approval of the Honourable Minister, FCT, through the Health Services and Environment Secretariat for the free registration of pregnant women on the FCT Health Insurance Scheme. Pregnant women registered under the scheme will benefit from free antennal, free delivery, and one year of free medical care for their newborn babies.

The Health Services and Environment Secretariat approached the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency for partnership and during the event, the Coordinating Minister, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate donated insecticide treated nets, nutrition supplements (packs) and delivery packs.

Minister, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate donating insecticide and treated nets, nutrition supplements (packs) and delivery packs.


He urged other states to adopt and emulate the concept of medical palliative as carried out by the FCT Administration under the leadership of the Honourable Minister, FCT and the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope vision.

All patients who benefitted from the program, including all scheduled surgical cases, optometry services, and laboratory investigations, were also offered free registration with the FCT Health Insurance Scheme as a medical palliative.