DECAY IN UBTH, BENIN CITY

The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Micheal Ibadin, Lack of maintenance culture has remained a menace in many sectors in Nigeria. Particularly in road and health sector, infrastructural decay can be seen everywhere which has called for serious concern, especially as these sectors involve lives. 

CALL-ROOM for Doctors

It appears to be worse in the health sector, as noticed by many Nigerians all over the country, but of serious concern is the massive infrastructural decay in the once highly esteemed University of Benin Teaching Hospital Benin city Edo state. The citadel of health care, training and research is now a shadow of itself. 

Bathroom

The medical staff in the medical institution has called on the Federal government and Nigerians to take a look at the rot in the Stem cell transplant centre in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. The intention of this facility was to bring smiles to the families with sickle cell patients as patients with sickle cell can come here and have their stem cells replaced in clearer terms after some treatment here they are no longer sicklers.

It is well known fact that the University of Benin Teaching Hospital stem cell centre was the place where this could be done in West Africa but the story is different today as the hospital management have allowed this facility to rust and waste. People are once again globetrotting for care for their loved ones with sickle cell; specialist man power that was trained in this field with tax payers money are left to do very basic things as their specialist skill is not been tapped.

The department of Radiotherapy is not left out in this rot as the radiotherapy machine which the government of Nigeria spent fortune on no longer functions, people have to be referred far and wide for such care which was available at their doorsteps.

The Accident and Emergency department of the hospital which was initially world class to carter for Nigerians especially, especially, those travelling is currently operating below a standard primary health care centre. Tools as glucometers are not present to check sugar level, instruments to measure blood pressure are faulty and the pharmacy lacks drugs and intravenous fluids. Patients and their relatives have to cross the road to get drugs and hospital consumables. Materials for advanced care is a no go area. Several lives which could have been saved in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital Accident and Emergency are lost daily. 

It is now with pain that the Nurses, pharmacists, doctors and other health care workers in UBTH are leaving the hospital monthly, for several reasons which include,

1. Job satisfaction - some health professionals are not able to stand the decay going on in the hospital, a situation where a life that could have been saved is lost.

2 . Poor welfare and remuneration - UBTH staff are always been owed salaries, this is saddening as federal government provides these monies.

It is a high time the general public and we'll meaning Nigerians stop the rot and decay in UBTH, the management should be called to order so the families with sicklers can smile, so the cancer patient does not die, so the accident victim will survive and Nigeria reduces the cost it spends on medical tourism. 

Prof. Micheal Ibadin,Chief Medical Director, UBTH.

Even the food that UBTH management serves their doctors who are on call remains an “apology”, and worse is the conditions of their call-rooms. To them,  The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Micheal Ibadin,  who should see to the better condition of the facility, “ is bent on killing the UBTH…”