KADUNA PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL LAUNCHES VIRTUAL CONSULTATIONS FOR PATIENTS

The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, has launched a telepsychiatry service that allows patients to access specialist mental healthcare from their homes.

The initiative is aimed at reducing the financial and geographical challenges faced by patients who travel long distances from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring countries for psychiatric consultations and follow-up care.

The hospital’s Medical Director, Prof. Aishatu Armaya’u, announced the service on Wednesday during a media engagement and the launch of new patient cards and other digital innovations in Kaduna.

Armaya’u said many patients and their relatives spend large amounts on transportation, accommodation and feeding whenever they visit the hospital. She said the new platform would allow eligible patients to remain in their communities while receiving specialist care.

She explained that the digital service would involve doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, health information managers and administrators, rather than doctors alone.

Patients will be able to schedule appointments, provide consent, make payments and receive consultations virtually where physical examination is not required.

The medical director said the initiative would also help the hospital plan its services and reduce pressure on its facilities by allowing patients whose conditions can be managed at community level to receive care closer to home.

She added that specialists at the hospital would be able to support healthcare workers in primary healthcare centres through telemedicine, reducing the need to refer every patient to the specialist hospital.

Armaya’u said the hospital was working with relevant authorities to strengthen the integration of mental healthcare into primary healthcare facilities across Kaduna State.

She, however, clarified that telepsychiatry would not replace physical consultations entirely, noting that patients requiring physical assessment would still need to visit the hospital.

The hospital also introduced new patient cards designed to improve patient identification, record management and continuity of care.

According to Armaya’u, the digital reforms are part of efforts to make mental healthcare more accessible, affordable and responsive to patients’ needs.