Patients of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, can now access psychiatric consultations and follow up care from their homes following the launch of a telepsychiatry service.
The Medical Director of the hospital, Prof Aishatu Yusha’u Armiya’u, disclosed this during the launch of the hospital’s new patient cards, telepsychiatry service and other digital innovations in Kaduna.
She said the initiative was designed to reduce the financial and geographical challenges faced by patients who travel long distances for mental healthcare.
According to her, some patients spend heavily on transportation, accommodation and feeding whenever they visit the hospital for consultations and follow up appointments.
The new platform will allow eligible patients to schedule appointments, provide consent, make payments and receive consultations remotely.
Armiya’u said the service would involve doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, health information managers and administrators, rather than doctors alone.
She explained that the initiative would also support the decentralisation of mental healthcare and strengthen psychiatric services at primary healthcare facilities across Kaduna State.
She added that specialists at the hospital would be able to support healthcare workers in other locations through telemedicine, reducing pressure on the specialist facility.
However, the medical director stressed that telemedicine would not replace physical consultations where physical assessment or specialised intervention is required.
The hospital said the digital transformation is aimed at making mental healthcare more accessible and affordable, particularly for patients who live far from Kaduna.
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