Tag: DELSUTH

The imposing Delta State University Teaching hospital in Oghara, Delta State, is going through trying times owing to neglect Okungbowa Aiwerie who visited the facility reports. 

Teaching Hospital in Oghara, Delta State took a turn for the worse following a decision by consultants in the hospital to embark on an industrial action.
Since inception the growth of the hospital has been hampered by incessant strike actions embarked upon by the stakeholders at the quaternary health facility.
The current industrial action embarked upon by the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) on August 22nd has grounded activities to a halt.
At the beginning
Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) located in Oghara, Ethiope West L.G.A is the apex autochthonous health institution in the state which basic functions include training, research and medical services provision.
The institution was established primarily to provide skilled health care through the undergraduate training of medical students, residency training of doctors and paramedics.
But this mandate appears threatened as the quaternary health facility is fast losing its best brains and skills to better run hospitals around the world.
Since inception five consultant neuro-surgeons, two orthopaedic consultant surgeons, four (each) internal medicine and general surgery consultants have left the employment of the hospital.
Also, 36 resident doctors dispersed among internal medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics, urology, paediatrics, gynaecology and obstetrics, Ear, Nose and Throat and radiology have left the health facility.
That is not all critical stakeholders in the hospital including local consultants are often at loggerheads with the board of the hospital over a catalogue of issues ranging from inimical government policies, lack of funding, and the huge disparity in salaries and other emoluments between Diaspora consultants and local consultants.
Other issues include infrastructural decay, non-existent power supply, unavailability of consumables, lack of stationery and sub-optimal functioning of theatres at the hospital.
The atrium, a huge cathedral-like waiting room is desolate and empty. A musty smell hangs in the air, devoid of the clean, crispy air associated with well run hospitals; fetid smells from broken toilets and urinary wafts into all the atmosphere of the hospital surroundings.
Dilapidated facilities
Large splotches adorn walls crying out for a fresh coat of paint; broken chairs litter the atrium begging to be replaced. There are also surfeits of broken window panes covered in a thick layer of dirt with dirty window blinds staring shamefacedly at passers-by.
The abandoned extension hospital building and library complexes are stark reminders of the unconscionable waste of resources by the management of the health institution.
Thick crusts of green algae grow from crevices on the outer walls of many buildings creating a most depressing environment for patients. Swathes of the surrounding fields in the hospital grounds are overgrown with thick bushes, the veritable abode for dangerous animals and reptiles
But how did this apex institution come to this sorry state in a short space of six years?
It was gathered that the hospital was conceived by the James Ibori administration as a Specialist Hospital in 2001, but was hurriedly converted by an act of parliament into a Teaching Hospital in 2009 by the Uduaghan administration following an outcry from medical students of the state-owned university who could not write their professional examinations.
Chairman, Medical and Dental Consultants Association (MDCAN), Dr Yahaya Obiabo, a consultant neurologist, in an interview carpeted the state government for neglecting the hospital despite its huge financial investment in the hospital.
He questioned the rationale behind the huge disparity in salaries between local consultants versus Diaspora consultants, adding that over N50 million was spent monthly for just 17 Diaspora consultants ( these are consultants who were recruited from abroad) while government has withdrawn its N40 million subvention to the hospital.
According to him, the Diaspora consultants earn between N3million and N5million.Other category of Diaspora staff including nurses, pharmacists, laboratory personnel and radiographers earn between N1.5 million to N2.5 million.
But local consultants with the same requisite professional experience earn an appalling N300, 000-N500, 000 in monthly salaries.
He said the Diaspora arrangement has become sore point in their agitation, adding that no significant contributions to the development of the hospital has been recorded since they were engaged.
He said, “Since we embarked on this industrial action why have they not stepped in? The hospital is at a standstill. One would have expected them to call our bluff and taken over control of the hospital. This has not been the case yet they are paid humongous salaries to the detriment of all.”
He, therefore, called on the state government for a termination of all Diaspora appointment status at the expiration of the contract in October 2016.
Dr Obiabo noted that withdrawal of subvention by government has impacted negatively on the hospital, stressing that basic consumables are in short supply.
He said, “Methylated spirit, cotton wool are diamonds. Doctors contribute money to buy soaps to wash their hands after assessment of patients.”
Government’s interference
He faulted government’s role in appointing the chief medical director (CMD) of DELSUTH.
He said the laws establishing the institution requires an election among the consultants in the institution where three nominees are sent to the governor who was at liberty to chose from the list, but added that at the expiration of the tenure of CMD’s elections are held but the list of nominees were jettisoned due to political considerations, which often lead to the appointment of outsiders.
Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, (DELSUTH) Prof Lawrence Omo-Agoja was unsparing in his criticism of government over the withdrawal of subvention and the collapse of the tertiary institution.
He said it was wicked for government to ask the hospital to be self-sustaining because ordinary Deltans cannot pay the high service charges obtainable at the hospital, stressing that this has led to low patronage of patients with the attendant negative impact on clinical training.
In his words, “There is a minimum duration for training in which students must be exposed in order to gain critical competencies to enable them treat patients. Clinical training is practical and not theoretical. We cannot take 200 deliveries annually, yet we say we are training medical students.”
Prof Omo-Agoja who was derisive of the appointment of Diaspora consultants claimed that the Diaspora doctors did not possess any sophisticated knowledge, adding many could not even operate the CTSCAN, MRI machines at the hospital.
Dr Patrick Okonta, a soft spoken Associate Professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, wants government to take dispassionate decisions devoid of political considerations, while urging that the thorny issue of headship of the institution be addressed.
According to him, “Plans are underway to appoint a new CMD from the Diaspora group; this is the fourth CMD that would be employed from this group of people, the hospital has crumbled under them. You are now taking a decision to appoint another one and pay so exorbitantly for someone with no administrative experience. What are the criteria for making such a judgement? We are key stakeholders, our careers are here. We love this hospital. We want this place to work. Government should look at issues dispassionately. There should be no political undertones. Every decision made by government and management is tainted with political considerations.”
He says government must fund the teaching hospital as is the practice elsewhere by restoring subvention in order for it to meet it’s the mandate.
“Government should ask itself what it wants DELSUTH to be. You cannot say you want a teaching hospital and you do not treat it as such. I do not know anywhere in this country where some form of subvention is not given. A teaching hospital is saddled with the responsibility of training, research and medical services. The service part can generate some fund, but the training and research rather consume funds. But they are important components. If they want a teaching hospital they must be ready to fund it.”
Dr Okocha Innocent, President, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) harped on the need for a restoration of subvention to the hospital, stressing that except the situation is reversed the institution will in no distant time turn out half-baked medical and post-graduate students.
He says, “You can see that medical students are having lectures powered by a portable generator. This is a shameful thing. These lapses affect our training and medical services provision. In the last five days we have not had electricity, and the hospital is designed to function on power. Though the resident doctors are not on strike but we cannot function because you cannot function without light. If we do not have light we cannot see our patients. We cannot perform surgery in the theatre because most of the equipment is electricity dependent. If there are issues of government’s non-commitment on issues of welfare it will affect us negatively. In order to garner the requisite skills, many post-graduate students go to private health facilities to get ourselves updated. If this situation persists we will soon begin to have half-baked medical and post-graduate students.”
The Delta State University Medical and Dental Students Association, (DUMSA), alumni, in a communiqué on the near collapse of the institution, and threat to sack consultants for requesting a revival of the hospital, demands an overhaul of the hospital to manage all cases that the hospital is built to cater for.
Dr Harrison A.E, and Dr Adebayo G, its President and scribe respectively in a jointly signed statement urge government to as “a matter of urgency and for the good of Delta restore the subvention in line with its prosperity agenda.”
The group warned that an attempt to impose another CMD would be “ill-advised, undemocratic anti-people and, self serving and thus election to the position of CMD of the hospital should be respected and honoured by the hospital board and the Governor.”
In defence of government
Delta State Information Commissioner, Patrick Ukah while responding to the issues raised by the striking medical doctors stressed that the Okowa administration took the decision to withdraw subvention to the hospital because it believes the internally generated revenue has increased to a level where it can be self-sufficient.
According to him, “The monthly IGR of DELSUTH has increased tremendously to a level that government believes they can be self sufficient.”
Another key demand of the striking doctors is the issue of pay disparity between local consultants and Diaspora staff, Ukah noted that at the expiration of the contract in October, “Government plans to reduce the contract sum downwards remarkably. Contract renewal will be based on performance, skill, and capacity in the areas where the hospital will need them, especially in areas where other doctors cannot perform, and those who agree on the new terms.”
On none availability of electricity at the apex health institution, Ukah said “Government has given them a 33 KVA transformer that can guarantee power supply for at least 23 hours daily.” To lay to rest the incessant industrial unrest bedevilling the health facility, he added, “A full scale stakeholders meeting is to be convened by the government to sort out the problem to fashion out a way forward to resolve it.”
How soon this would be no one can say, but as the government dithers the facilities continue to sink into rot and decay.