Patients of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, will now be able to access specialist psychiatric consultations and follow-up care remotely through a newly launched telepsychiatry service.
The initiative is designed to reduce the financial and geographical challenges faced by patients travelling from distant parts of Nigeria and neighbouring countries to access mental healthcare.
Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Aishatu Armaya’u, disclosed this on Wednesday during a strategic media engagement and the launch of the hospital’s new patient cards, telepsychiatry service and other digital innovations in Kaduna.
Patients Can Receive Care From Home
Armaya’u said many patients and their relatives spend significant amounts on transportation, accommodation and feeding whenever they travel to the hospital for consultations and follow-up appointments.
She said the new platform would allow eligible patients to remain within their communities while receiving specialist care from healthcare professionals at the hospital.
“This is my dream in the next 20 years, to see the impact of what we have done today transferred across the globe, where a patient can stay in the hospital to have affordable, available and accessible mental healthcare at home,” she said.
According to the medical director, patients will be able to schedule appointments, provide the required consent, make payments and receive consultations without travelling to the hospital for every appointment.
Telepsychiatry To Involve Multiple Professionals
Armaya’u explained that the platform would operate as a coordinated digital healthcare system rather than a doctor-only service.
“This is a coordinated service. It is not just the doctor that will be involved,” she said.
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, health information managers and administrators will participate in the digital care process.
The system will also enable healthcare workers to know in advance the number of patients scheduled for virtual consultations and their expected healthcare needs.
The hospital said this would help improve service planning and coordination.
Hospital Plans Community-Based Mental Healthcare
Armaya’u said the telepsychiatry initiative formed part of the hospital’s broader plan to decentralise mental healthcare and integrate psychiatric services into primary healthcare facilities across Kaduna State.
She said patients whose conditions could be managed at the community level would not need to repeatedly travel to the specialist hospital.
“This is not a new thing. Mental health is part and parcel of the primary healthcare package,” she said.
However, she noted that effective integration of mental healthcare into primary healthcare facilities remained a challenge.
“We are working with the relevant authorities to ensure that mental health services are incorporated into primary healthcare,” she said.
Specialists To Support Healthcare Workers Remotely
The medical director said the new arrangement would also allow specialists at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital to support healthcare workers in other locations through telemedicine.
“Our specialists can support healthcare workers in those centres. They do not necessarily have to bring every patient to the specialist hospital,” she said.
According to Armaya’u, the approach could reduce pressure on the specialist hospital while creating more opportunities for its professionals to focus on research, training and complex cases.
Physical Consultations Still Required Where Necessary
Armaya’u said geographical distance and the cost of healthcare remained major barriers for some psychiatric patients.
“Some of our patients come from very far places. Some come from other states and even neighbouring countries. They spend money on transportation, accommodation and feeding just to come for follow-up,” she said.
She stressed, however, that telepsychiatry would not completely replace physical consultations.
“Where physical assessment is required, the patient will still have to come to the hospital. Telemedicine is not a replacement for every form of clinical care,” she said.
The service will therefore provide an alternative for patients whose follow-up care does not require physical assessment at every appointment.
Hospital Launches New Patient Cards
The hospital also unveiled new patient cards as part of its digital transformation programme.
Armaya’u said the cards would improve patient identification, records management and continuity of care.
She said the reforms were aimed at developing a mental healthcare system that is more accessible, affordable and responsive to patients’ needs.
