The Nation Newspaper

Tag: hospital

  • NDDC donates 500kva generator to Ibom Specialist Hospital

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has donated a 500 KVA generator to the Ibom Specialist Hospital in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

    The Managing Director, Mr Nsima Ekere, made the donation on Saturday when he led a delegation from the Commission to the hospital.

    Ekere said the NDDC would partner the Akwa Ibom State Government to ensure the objective upon which the Ibom Specialist Hospital was conceptualised and built was achieved.

    According to Ekere, the equipment and facilities in the hospital cannot function optimally and efficiently without constant power, a deficiency he noted necessitated the NDDC’s intervention towards solving the electricity challenge of the hospital.

    His words: “NDDC will also partner the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company Limited to ensure that the hospital is connected to the national grid.”

    He said the hospital which was built by the Akpabio administration to curb medical tourism in the country has world class facilities that can provide services that meet international best standard.

    Ekere explained that one of Niger Delta’s health challenges is the effect of hydrocarbon emission which causes cancer hence the determination of the NDDC to partner the hospital to have a Cancer Centre that is functional, effective and efficient.

    He commended the staff for exhibiting a high level of professionalism in the discharge of their duties to patients.

    Ekere stated that the Commission remains committed towards partnering the Akwa Ibom State government in ensuring that intervention projects that add value to the lives of the people are done.

    He said: “Whoever takes credit for projects is not the issue. The people who are beneficiaries of the project should take credit.”

    Ekere said the NDDC Governing Board would soon pay a courtesy call to the Akwa Ibom government to work out modalities for a partnership that benefits the people.

    He said: “Our job is to partner with various state governments to have enduring structures in the region.”

    Responding, a director in the hospital, Dr. Kofo Ogunyanrin, thanked the NDDC for intervening to solve the electricity challenge, stating that the generator donated would assist the hospital to function optimally.

  • LAUTECH hospital workers protest unpaid salaries

    LAUTECH hospital workers protest unpaid salaries

    The workers of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, at the weekend protested unpaid salary.

    They said they were last paid in January last year.

    The workers, who caused gridlock, carried placards with inscriptions, such as: “LAUTECH workers dying of hunger”, “Enough is enough since 2016”, “Ajimobi don’t wait for God’s wrath”, “Ajimobi please pay our salaries in full”, etc.

    Addressing reporters, the Secretary of Unions LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Lawal Abiodun, said the problem began in January last year, adding that it was borne out of the government’s stance that LAUTECH was an educational institution that could generate fund internally from students’ tuition fees.

    He said the unions made the government to understand that the students paid into the school’s coffers.

    Lawal said: “LAUTECH Teaching Hospital (LTH), Ogbomoso has been wrongly classified by the Oyo State government as one of the tertiary institutions that has students from whom the institution collects tuition fees. LTH does not collect fees from LAUTECH students, who use the hospital for their clinical training. They pay their fees to the university. Hence LTH Ogbomoso cannot generate revenue from the students.

    “As a result, the government since January last year has not paid the workers’ salaries, but subvention, which is not paid in full. This has made the institution to pay workers half salaries, making life difficult for them.

    “During our last visit to Health Commissioner Dr. Azeez Adeduntan, he said Governor Abiola Ajimobi agreed to pay our 100 per cent salaries and promised to raise a memo in that respect, but since, the memo has not been written.”

    He said LAUTECH hospital has lost consultants and nurses to other hospitals that are well-funded, adding that this is tantamount to imminent collapse of the hospital.

    Lawal said to save the hospital from collapse, workers’ full salaries must be paid.

    Efforts made last night to reach Dr. Adeduntan for his reaction were fruitless, as his lines were unreachable.

  • Minister lays foundation for 127-bed teaching hospital

    Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Muhammad Bello has laid the foundation for a 127-bed teaching hospital in Abuja.

    While laying the foundation for the multi-billionaire Baze University Teaching hospital in Jabi, Bello said the Hospital portends hope for ordinary Nigerians, adding that it would complement government efforts at bridging the gap in the provision of quality healthcare services in the Territory.

    His words: “The establishment of Baze University Teaching Hospital is taking place at a very auspicious time when Nigeria is experiencing a downturn in the provision of quality healthcare in the country, especially at the primary level. This Teaching Hospital is a welcome development in bridging the gap”.

    The minister who was represented by FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye further revealed that the hospital would ensure that the teeming residents of the Territory have access to good medical treatments, thus guaranteeing healthy living.

    Bello according to the statement issued by  the Press Secretary, Office of the Permanent Secretary, FCT, Tony Odey, challenged the management of the Hospital to provide a helipad facility in the Hospital to handle emergency situations, assuring them that the FCT Administration would continue to give them all the necessary support.

    Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor of Baze University, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba appealed to the Minister to revoke undeveloped plots of land around the University and re-allocate to more serious developers to give room for speedy development in the Territory.

    The Hospital which will be part of the Faculty of Medicine of Baze University is expected to be completed within 48 months.

     

  • This hospital needs healing

    This hospital needs healing

    What some security workers do in the course of doing their job leaves a lot to be desired. They give security work a bad name.

    The unpleasant experience of The Nation reporter Medinat Kanabe at the hands of unreasonable security personnel at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on May 3 showed how untrained they were.

    Kanabe’s account: “I went there to meet with some LUTH pensioners who hold their meetings in the hospital every month. It was an opportunity to interact with them on their challenges, especially as this crop of pensioners has many things in common. I was discussing with them when one Akin Victor also known as Supo barged into the venue and demanded to know what was happening there. He was with the Chief Security Officer, a male, and one female police officer called Faith and also known as Mama Precious.”

    This was the beginning of a drama that should not have been staged.  The report said: “She said Victor looked at her angrily and demanded to see the contents of her bag. But as she started to bring the items out, Victor ordered Faith to take possession of the bag and search it.”

    Kanabe continued: “I explained to him that I was already bringing out the items but he got angry, walked up to me, grabbed my hands and pulled me out of the venue. He then pushed me until I got to where their vehicle was parked and ordered Faith to see that I entered the vehicle. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t even tell them that I am a journalist. I just wanted to see how they would handle the situation. ” Well, they handled the situation by manhandling Kanabe.

    The reporter said that at the security/police office in LUTH, Faith told her to write a statement dictated by a police officer. She refused to do this. To cut a long story short: “When they saw my ID card, Victor got angry again, held my hand, squeezed it, collected my phone and demanded that I write a statement but I refused saying I will not write anything until I got permission from my office since they are aware that I was in LUTH… he kept threatening to beat me up…he said he would shut my mouth for me. He and Faith called me suspect, accused, and even added that I was planning with the pensioners to bomb the hospital. At a point they said I was planning with the pensioners to carry placards against the management of the hospital. I was at their office from 11.15am until 3:05pm when the PRO came to release me.”

    Guess what the hospital’s PRO said to the reporter:  “He said they were doing their job and that it was the practice in all federal hospitals.” That sounds like an endorsement of uncivil conduct, to describe it with civility.

     

     

     

     

  • Saudi-German hospital collaborates with Nigerian hospitals, doctors 

    Nigeria’s effort to curb medical tourism has received a boost as the Saudi-German Hospital (SGH) in Dubai seeks to collaborate with Nigerian hospitals and doctors.

    Besides, doctors from the hospital were in Nigeria to screen and treat patients in Abuja and Kaduna.

    The essence is to ensure that cases that could be handled here in the country are dealt with so as to discourage unnecessary traveling on the part of patients.

    It is reported that Nigeria spends over $1 billion on medical tourism annually.

    Saudi German Hospitals Group is the largest private Healthcare provider in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa.)

    While responding to questions from journalists in Abuja after the screening, a German Board Certified Neuro Surgeon, Dr Khaldoun Osman, said SGH would be happy if it could find partners in Nigeria, which will help curb medical tourism.

    Osman said they have lots of Nigerians as their patients, which explained why the hospital will want to have partners in the country.

    He said with partners in the country, patients could easily be screened while only the most severe cases would be referred abroad.

    The purpose of the visit, he added, is also to save the patients from spending huge FOREX unnecessarily by ascertaining those who really need to travel outside the country for treatment and those whose cases can be adequately handled locally.

    The surgeon also revealed that the free camp and screening carried out was as a result of the rising cases of back pain and brain tumors. He revealed that the burden of back pain and tumors are on the increase in the continent.

    He, however, noted that with new technologies available, it has become easier to detect the problem at a very early stage and treat it, insisting that it is important to detect such conditions at an early stage and treat properly.

    Dr Osman said the Saudi German Hospital, Dubai, has also concluded plans to partner with the Nigerian doctors in the area of training.

    “We are planning to provide Continued Medical Education (CME) programme so that we can train doctors in Nigeria so that they can learn about the techniques and the new technology for the development of the country. The purpose of the visit is to check the spectrums of cooperation between our hospital and Nigeria,” he noted.

    Also speaking, a member of the team, Dr George Davis, while describing the camps in Kaduna and Abuja as successful, disclosed that the major cases recorded during the camp include oncology –cancer care, cardiac surgery and neuro-spine.

    Saudi German Hospital is also keen to train doctors from this region and set up telemedicine centres in Abuja.

    In the long term, “we will be investing in the country to develop the healthcare system which in turn will provide cost effective treatment to Nigerians. We are looking at long term strategic plan. We intend to tie up with local hospitals in the healthcare systems of the country,” he explained.

    Dr Davis spoke about the facilities available at Saudi German Hospital Dubai.

    The Group operates eight hospitals in the region. The SGH Dubai has 300 beds with JCI and TEMOS accreditations. The medical team consists of 200 doctors supported by excellent clinical and support services.

  • Ishawo killings: suspect dies in hospital

    Ishawo killings: suspect dies in hospital

    One of the gunmen who wreaked havoc on Ishawo, Ikorodu, Lagos, two weeks ago, yesterday died in hospital following an encounter with the police.
    The gunmen killed a soldier, four policemen and seven others when they invaded Ishawo.
    Endurance Ominisan alias Mighty died barely 48 hours after his arrest on Easter Sunday in his girlfriend’s place at 20, Joel Adebolu Street, Ibeshe, Ikorodu
    Mighty, described as an Arogbo Ijaw from Ondo State, was trailed to Ibeshe by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) operatives.
    It was gathered that a Turkish made Fatih 13 pistol marked 12TF00126, with four expended and five live ammunition were recovered from him.
    The IRT went after the gunmen following the directive of IGP Ibrahim Idris to all police units and commands in Lagos and Ogun States to get them dead or alive.
    According to a source, Mighty, who rented the home for his lover, went to hide there, when he learnt about the security forces’ planned attack on the creek last weekend.
    “While other policemen were in the creek waiting for signal to carry on with the operation, IRT got information that the masterminds were fleeing the creek and one of them was at his girlfriend’s place at Ibeshe. He was followed and the house surrounded.
    “Mighty escaped to the roof of the house from where he fired several shots with his pistol on the IRT. The team responded swiftly and wounded him. He was eventually brought down from the roof and rushed to the General Hospital, Ikorodu where he died.
    “But before his death, he mentioned one America, Stone, Vika and others as his gang members, who participated in the killing of the four policemen and soldier.
    “The kingpin confessed to have masterminded the kidnap of Iba monarch, Turkish school girls and many others within the zone.”
    Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) Information Communication Technology (ICG), Foluso Adebanjo confirmed the death of the kingpin. He said other suspects had been apprehended.

  • #clinic checkup: Hospital Update 2 

    • Continued from last week

    You come to the hospital sick and you are sick and tired of the hassles you are subjected to 

    You had better not be if you can’t afford to pay the exorbitant fees in private hospital or the kind of treatment you require are only available in teaching hospitals where you will still be referred to when the private ones can’t handle your case.

    Get used to whatever hassles you have to go through, including being asked to stand up from where you are sitting for other patients, for whatever reason.

    If you arrive the hospital at 7am and are still not sure when you will see the doctor at 9.38am, learn to be a patient patient!

    Patients waiting to see consultants since 6.30am.Consultantsattending meeting as at 9.58am. Please wait consultants will see you soon

    Divine healing is your best bet when you have to wait forever to see a doctor on your clinic day.

    Nurse: The doctor will soon see you, just make yourself comfortable.

    Patient: I came for treatment, not comfort.

    When you are not the president, you have to learn to wait for hours to see your doctor in Nigeria, not in London.

    God heals, doctors care. If only they can care enough 

    Thank God for doctors who care as much as they should, even if they have to tolerate some the patients. A sick man or woman deserves as much care as he or she can get, not lack of enough attention from doctors who are absent minded or prefer to fiddle with their gadgets and claim to be listening to patients.

    Gastro, neuro keep the medical terms to yourself; what we want is consultation, treatment.

    You need to be sure which clinic you are supposed to attend to get the right treatment. But who do you blame when patients for two departments sit together amidst confusion of which doctor is available and which one is not?

    After getting confused about the whole arrangement, being asked questions like, are you for Gastro or Neuro?can get on your nerve.

    “I don’t know which is which,” an angry patient replies. “I just need to see the doctor please.”

    Kudos to doctors and other health workers who have to make do with limited facilities and crowd of patients.

    If only doctors and other hospital staff have enough facilities to work with, but that is obviously not the case. First, there is not enough staff to attend to the crowd of patients, then the facilities are overstretched.

    Who is to blame? Definitely not the doctors and other staff all the time. Many of them are miracle workers, given the condition under which they work.

    God help you when you have to see a doctor who obviously needs treatment for stress.

    Despite all they know about being healthy, doctors are still human beings like every other person. Apart from the hectic schedule they have to cope with, they have personal issues that make some of them look stressed up and sometimes not in a good state of mind to attend to a patient who needs all the attention he or she can get from a doctor.

    Stress or no stress, the doctor is still supposed to be in charge and recommend what you should do about your health. Don’t worry about him or her, just pray that his diagnosis is not stress- induced.

    Hurray, finally you get to see the doctor after three hours, but he can’t attend to you as he should. No past case file …#cliniccheckup

  • Relief as Abia council gets hospital

    Relief as Abia council gets hospital

    Their ordeal was quite remarkable. Expectant mothers travelled far to be delivered of their babies. Patients suffering common and severe ailments had to make do with medical services provided by personnel of missionary hospitals or private facilities. In many cases, patients from rural areas died not from complications but because it took too long to find a health facility.

    Now redemption has come, thanks to the state government which has just built and inaugurated what has been referred to as a state-of-the-art hospital at Mgboko, headquarters of Obingwa Local Government Area of the state.

    Governor Okezie Ikpeazu flagged off the hospital.

    A resident of Obingwa narrated a telling experience, saying he lost his wife who had gone to deliver their baby in one of the clinics in their community. She developed complications in the midnight because the staff at the facility could no longer handle the matter. Before they could ferry her to another hospital in Aba, she gave up the ghost on the road.

    This was one of several experiences the people of Obingwa were passing through until Governor Ikpeazu ensured that the Obingwa General Hospital, attracted to the area by former governor, now Senator, Theodore Orji, was completed.

    The facility, built in conjunction with the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme or SURE-P, is fitted with modern tools, complete with doctors’ quarters.

    The joy of Obingwa residents knew no bounds as they trooped out to witness the epoch-making occasion as the governor commissioned the 100-bed facility.

    Governor Ikpeazu donated N1m for the treatment of the early callers at the hospital. The announcement of the donation caused the people to go into wild jubilation.

    Ikpeazu said that the facility would assist the Primary Health Centers in the local council, stressing that construction of the doctors’ quarters, borehole and provision of a soundproof generating set was to aid the medical staff to do their jobs.

    He charged the people of the area to ensure that they guard and protect the facility built in their community in order to serve the purpose for which the hospital was built for.

    He said, “With the presence of this hospital, our people doesn’t need to suffer going to Hospitals in Aba and Umuahia the state capital seeking for medical attention because it has the state-of-art facility that are available in major hospitals in major parts of the state. We have other similar hospitals in other parts of the state which we are going to commission in no distant time and it is our wish that these hospitals will assist the efforts of the Primary Health Care Centres in the state,” Ikpeazu stated.

    The health commissioner, John Ahukanna in his speech, recalled how Governor Ikpeazu has invested so much in the secondary health sector since the inception of his administration which he said has helped to promote health services.

    Ahukanna said that the state government would frown at any form of illegality in the hospital by any hospital personnel and however urged prospective patients to report any form extortion which he said that it would be followed up to the latter.

    Hon. Amaechi Hanson thanked the governor for his love for the people of Mgboko, Obingwa and the state at large and stated that the presence of the hospital would help in reducing mother and child mortality rate and cost of accessing medical health care in the local government area.

    Hanson who assured that the hospital was in safe hands and called for the recruitment of health officers from the local government who will work as medical staff in the facility.

     

  • Dangote Foundation votes N200m for Kano hospital rehab

    In addition to building a N7 billion surgical and diagnostic centre (SDC) at the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Kano, the Dangote Foundation is renovating sections of the hospital at the cost of over N200m.

    The 900-bed capacity hospital, reputed for the highest number of in-patients in sub-Saharan Africa has been lacking facilities that may detract from the new SDC being built by the Foundation, hence the decision to carry out the construction and renovation of the auxiliary facilities.

    The chairman of the Foundation said he is committed to its timely completion.

    The Foundation handed over to the hospital management a renovated maternity ward, two ultra-modern maternity laboratories, upgraded water supply system Eclampsia ward, theatre and improved sanitary environment befitting of a specialist hospital.

    President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote who was represented by his daughter, Hajiya Fatima Dangote, explained that the provision of the health care facilities was in line with the focus of the Foundation to contribute to improved health care service delivery in Nigeria as well as nutrition on the African continent.

    He stated that his Foundation has the mandate to intervene in the critical areas such as health, education and human development which was why the Foundation has also embarked on some poverty alleviation programmes targeted at women at the grassroots.

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who was represented by his deputy, Hafis Abubakar expressed the state’s gratitude to Dangote Foundation for coming to the aid of the state in the task of provision of sound health care to the people of the state.

    He urged other public-spirited individual and organisations to rise up and partner with the state government efforts at making life more meaningful to the people saying government alone could not provide all that the people need.

    The Deputy Governor then called on the staff of the hospital to make judicious use of the facilities and maintain them like their personal property so that they can serve the people for a long time.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Kabiru Getso said the Murtala Mohammed Specialist hospital Kano, was established about 92 years ago and it is one of the biggest facilities in Africa; with the maternity ward alone recording no fewer than 2, 000 deliveries monthly.

    Head of Medical laboratory of the hospital, Magaji Minjibir said the intervention by Dangote Foundation was timely because the state of the hospital was appalling.

    He said the hospital’s laboratory has suffered congestion and the hospital is generally bedevilled with many infrastructural challenges.

    “At the chemical pathology, we had to wait for our equipment to cool down before we process results. The Histology department had to stop work temporarily. Our autoclave is about 15 years old and outdated. We have only one microscope and this cannot cater for our teaming patients while lab staff take turns to perform tests and this delay results especially for patients in emergency cases”.  Minjibir stated.

    The Matron in charge of Maternity ward, Hauwa Mansur Waziri, who also spoke on the pitiable situation of the hospital before the Dangote Foundation’s intervention, said the new facilities will go a long way in improving services and saving more lives.

    “There is no doubt that our staff will now be motivated by the conducive environment made possible by the Foundation. They can now perform their duties free of so many hazards. The wards now have bright light, functional tools, water and toilets. All these would enhance conditions of patients and help healing process”, she stated with excitement.

  • Okorocha donates 200-bed hospital to Air Force

    Okorocha donates 200-bed hospital to Air Force

    •NAF establishes 211 Regiment Group

    The Governor of Imo state Owelle Rochas Okorocha has donated a 200 bed hospital with modern equipment to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). The hospital formerly called Owerri North Specialist Hospital was one of the infrastructure development projects of the state government before it was handed over to the NAF.

    The governor spoke in Owerri when the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar paid him a visit at government house during the ground breaking ceremony for the establishment of the NAF 211 Regiment Group along airport road Owerri.

    Governor Okorocha who thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the approval of the establishment of the Regiment Group  said the state has been neglected by the federal government for many years adding that the establishment of the Air Force base will provide ample security for the newly established International Cargo Airport in the state.

    Okorocha: “ I want to thank the President for the coming of the Air Force Base in this state, it shows that the President has remembered Imo state which has been abandoned by previous federal administrations. I also want to thank the Chief of the Air Staff for the speed the project has taken off and assure that every support needed will be provided by the state government to make this dream come through.

    “ The coming of the NAF Regiment Group will complement what other sister security organisations have been doing in the state and it will also complement the International Cargo Airport which is due to be operational in May 2017.

    “ We are also donating a 200-bed hospital formerly Owerri North Specialist Hospital,  complete with modern equipment and gadgets to the Nigerian Air Force to manage, but  I will urge the Chief of the Air Staff to consider the  employing local indigenes to work in the hospital.”

    The CAS said the coming of the 211 Regiment Group  was established to add value  and enhance the security of  Imo state. He said the Regiment is a highly skilled quick and response group which is trained in all manner of modern warfare and rescue operations.

    “We are here to add value to Imo state, the Unit we are bringing is a highly skilled quick response group, highly trained and able to move in to rescue any situation. For those who are involved in kidnapping, this is the time to change your ways or we will be very decisive with any case of kidnapping,” he said.

    The Air Chief also said the NAF is ready to move in very fast and build the Air Force base saying provision for the establishment of the base has been made in the 2017 budget and the NAF will begin construction as soon as the budget is passed.

    He said the NAF will also establish a secondary school which will also be available for the indigenes of the area adding that free medical outreaches will be part of their benefits to the communities around the base.

    The Governor and his guest later visited the Hospital in Owerri north local government before laying the foundation of the 211 Regiment Group in   Ngor- Okpala community. After visiting the hospital, the CAS described it as “amazing.”

    Abubakar: “ It is amazing what we have here, I don’t have the words to express our appreciation to the government of Imo state, our Chief of Medical Services will be here tomorrow to take stock and I have instructed they change the name of the hospital to NAF Hospital immediately.”