Kaduna Neuropsychiatric Hospital Introduces Telepsychiatry for Home-Based Care
The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Kaduna has rolled out a telepsychiatry service that will allow patients to consult with mental health specialists without leaving their homes. The initiative aims to cut the financial and geographical obstacles that patients from distant parts of Nigeria and neighbouring countries face when seeking care.
Prof. Aishatu Armaya’u, the hospital’s Medical Director, announced the launch on Wednesday during a strategic media engagement in Kaduna. The event also marked the introduction of new patient cards and other digital innovations.
Armaya’u explained that many patients and their families incur heavy expenses on transportation, accommodation and feeding each time they come for consultations and follow-up visits. The new platform, she said, will let patients stay in their communities while still receiving specialist care from the hospital’s professionals.
“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,” the medical director said.
She emphasised that the telepsychiatry service is not limited to doctors. “This is a coordinated service. It is not just the doctor that will be involved,” she said, noting that nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, health information managers and administrators will all play roles in the digital care process.
Through the system, patients will be able to book appointments, give consent, make payments and receive consultations without having to travel to the hospital for every appointment. Armaya’u added that the platform will help the hospital plan its services better, as staff will know in advance how many patients are expected for virtual consultations and what their medical needs are.
The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to decentralise mental healthcare and integrate psychiatric services into primary healthcare facilities across Kaduna State. Patients whose conditions can be managed at the community level will no longer need to make repeated trips to the specialist hospital. This, Armaya’u said, will allow the hospital to focus more on new patients and those needing specialised or complex interventions.
“This is not a new thing. Mental health is part and parcel of the primary healthcare package,” she said. However, she noted that the difficulty has been effectively incorporating mental healthcare into primary healthcare facilities. “We are working with the relevant authorities to ensure that mental health services are incorporated into primary healthcare,” she added.
Armaya’u also said the arrangement will enable 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. This approach is expected to reduce pressure on the hospital and free up more opportunities for its professionals to engage in research, training and the management of complicated cases.
The medical director explained that the digital transformation became necessary because geographical distance and the cost of accessing care remain major hurdles 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.
The telepsychiatry service will therefore provide an alternative for patients who do not require physical examination at every visit. However, Armaya’u stressed that it will not eliminate the need for in-person 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 hospital also launched new patient cards as part of its digital transformation programme. Armaya’u said the cards will improve patient identification, records management and continuity of care. She said the reforms are aimed at building a mental healthcare system that is “more accessible, affordable and responsive” to patients’ needs.
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