Chairman of Medical Advisory Committee at Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, Dr Olagoke Erinomo, has taken over as acting chief medical director, after expiration of the tenure of former CMD, Prof. Adekunle Ajayi, on December 31.
A statement from the hospital said Erinomo promised to sustain the hospital’s qualitative health care services.
Erinomo urged staff “to look forward to the New Year with resilience and renewed hope, as we continue to provide quality and compassionate healthcare services to clients and communities.
“We thank God for bringing us this far, as we trust Him to make the year a good one for every member of staff and our beloved hospital.
“On behalf of the board and management, I thank you for your trust, dedication, and sacrifice which have built our reputation as a healthcare family that truly cares,” he said.
Ajayi, while handing over to Erinomo on December 31, said: “Today marks the transition of leadership of this hospital to you as acting CMD. It has been a fulfilling and rewarding eight years of service, and I am grateful to everyone for their support, which has been instrumental in the successful completion of my tenure.
“I wish you success as you embark on a new chapter in the hospital’s leadership. May you achieve great success and be celebrated. I wish you all a Happy New Year,” the former CMD said.
The acting CMD congratulated Ajayi for the successful completion of his eight-year tenure, which was “marked by breakthroughs, accomplishments, and fine performance.
Erinomo lauded the former CMD and wished him well in his future endeavours.
Federal Government will announce the substantive CMD of the facility in due course.
The Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), will soon start enjoying a 24-hour electricity, its Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr Kolawole Ogundipe, has said.
Ogundipe told reporters in Ado Ekiti that solar power plant and medical gas plants were in the works to make the dream a reality.
When the two projects come on stream, they will help reduce overhead costs on electricity, he said.
Ogundipe said his administration had also secured approval for the ugrade of the Radiology Centre to provide CT scan and endoscopy.
According to him, the step became necessary to halt the suffering of patients being referred outside the hospital in need of such services.
He said: “On daily basis, three to four patients are being referred outside the hospital to other centres where they have these scan. Some of them will pay as much as this scan on transportation where they are going to.
“When we have these facilities here, it will reduce the burden on patients and it will help the personnel to timely treat their patients and it will be beneficial to everybody.”
Ogundipe explained that approval has also been secured from the state government to upgrade the mortuary to a status befitting a teaching hospital. The present mortuary facilities had been in use since the hospital was established as a district hospital before it was later upgraded to a general hospital.
He added that EKSUTH Maternity Complex will be expanded to provide better and more quality maternal and child health services.
Ogundipe noted that EKSUTH received 14 accreditation bodies last year which accredited many departments attesting to quality of the services rendered in the hospital.
The CMD expressed satisfaction that the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has increased tremendously, noting that this has helped the hospital to reduce its debt burden from N416 million as at 31st July, 2013 to N62 million as at 31st December 2015.
Ogundipe added: “Our staff members are now more committed to our IGR drive because they know that they have roles to play in generating revenue. There is high degree of competition among the staff.
“People hitherto unable to access training are now being sponsored for further trainings and this will encourage them to do more for the system. “Significantly the management and the unions have been working together in a very cordial way to ensure that labour issues are resolved without degenerating to strikes that can impact negatively on the hospital.”
From catering to the health of WWII soldiers to serving the Eastern Regional Government, the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki has weathered every storm to become a leading health institution. OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE reports
It has come of age. First, colonial authorities once shipped wounded soldiers in the Second World War to the hospital. In time, the Eastern Regional Government took it over before passing it to the East Central State Government. Ebonyi State authorities have since taken over but even though the hospital occasionally came under rough weather, it has earned its prime position in the health sector.
As wounded soldiers on the Cameroon flank of the WWII have lain on its beds, so have ailing residents of the Eastern Regional Government, and health workers of the hospital have catered to them all.
Established in the l930s under the British colonial administration, its name has changed from Casualty Control Centre to Abakaliki General Hospital and then to Federal Medical Centre.
By 1973, the hospital had the full complement of consultant staff and was approved for training of House Officers. It later went into limbo. Facilities deteriorated and consultant staff fell short as the East Central State was split into many states. It almost became moribund.
The hospital became a Federal Medical Centre in March, 1991 following the agreement between the Federal Government and Enugu State Government.
With the takeover, the Hospital made modest progress. But the best was yet to come.
Things continued to look up from 2007 when Associate Prof. Paul Olisaemeka Ezeonu, then Head of Clinical Services in the Medical Centre, became Chief Medical Director. Since then, there has been remarkable growth in virtually every department of the hospital.
Outpatient patronage has risen to about 5,000 monthly. Accreditation for training of House officers has been restored. During his election campaign tour to Ebonyi State in 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan promised to upgrade the Federal Medical Centre to a Teaching Hospital. On December 7 of that year, the President fulfilled his election promise by proclaiming the Centre a Federal Teaching Hospital. He further directed that Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital be absorbed into the new mega Teaching Hospital comprising FETHA I (former FMC) and FETHA II (former EBSUTH).
The handover process was completed the same month including the absorption of the staff of the defunct State University Teaching Hospital.
The mega teaching hospital concept fitted in exactly with the vision of the CMD, Associate Prof. Paul Ezeonu. German-trained and imbued with a passion for excellence and hard work, Dr. Ezeonu has laboured long to take FETHA to the top among teaching hospitals not only in Nigeria but indeed across the world.
On assumption of office as CMD, he had created a lofty vision to make the hospital a global player. He went on to initiate what have aptly been described as “transformational projects” that have indeed catapulted the hospital to the global league in the industry.
The new Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki FETHA, under Prof. Ezeonu has indeed become mega and world class with a retinue of over 4,000 staff comprising over 200 Consultants in various specialties, 602 beds ward complex distributed in various departments, 500 doctors undergoing residency training and a capacity for training of over 250 House Officers every year.
Furthermore, the hospital is now relocating to its new multipurpose building complex designed as a one-stop shop complex to accommodate the various units and departments such as children’s emergency units and wards, Obstetrics and Gynecology (O&G) wards and units, Accounts department, administration department, consulting rooms and wards among others.
These projects were commissioned recently by President Goodluck Jonathan.
•Quarters for Resident Doctors and House officers
Also completed and commissioned by the President who was represented by the Minister of State for Health, Mr Fidelis Nwankwo are buildings for Resident Doctors’ and House Officers’ quarters comprising several units of self contained accommodation, medical records blocks, laboratories, dental clinics among others.
At the occasion, Prof Ezeonu said the “new multi-purpose hospital complex is designed as a one-stop complex to accommodate various units in the departments of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology; administration department comprising consulting rooms and wards among others”.
“The Medical Records and Medical Laboratory Complexes have also been completed; all interwoven as one complex to reduce distance, waiting time and stress on patients and staff”.
“Construction of ongoing projects include an ultra modern auditorium with five hundred sifting capacity, a lecture hall with a two-hundred desk sitting capacity, an E-library and a conventional library as well as an ultra modern theatre and several other facilities with modern ancillary amenities located within the new site and FETHA II”.
School of basic nursing and school of basic midwifery hostels.
Perhaps, the icing on the cake of both the histry of FETHA and the transformational achievements of Assoc Prof Ezeonu is the establishment of the school of Basic Nursing and School of Midwifery. Conceived in 2011 following the upgrade of the hospital to a teaching hospital, the school constitute a story of hope as well as a child of circumstance.
The story is told of how it came to the notice of the Chief Medical Director, Assoc. Prof. Ezeonu, that minor illnesses were being referred to the federal teaching hospital because there were insufficient health personnel to manage the various primary health care centers in the state.
•A fuel station at the facility
Acting in concert with other members of the management the CMD took up the challenge of selling up the school. The school was thus conceived to fill a critical gap, namely, the lack of trained and qualified basic nursing and midwifery personnel in primary health care institutions in Ebonyl State and environs.
According to Ezeonu, the school is the first Government-owned nursing training facility in Ebonyi State since inception.
“The schools have commenced having obtained accreditation from the Nursing Council of Nigeria in 2014. The schools are fully operational with state-of-the-arts accommodation; transport and educational facilities. We are currently seeking collaboration with Canadian Universities in the areas of exchange programmes and manpower training”.
Speaking at the occasion, the Minister of State for Health, said the commissioning is a land mark event in line with the president’s determination to ensure access to quality and affordable health care for the citizens.
He said, “I see much more than the physical structures. What I see is the satisfaction on the faces of patients who would access services from this one-stop shop, the clinical complex and the high morale of the young doctors in their new quarters”.
“I want to reiterate this administration’s commitment to providing world class health care services to Nigerians through adequate Funding, provision of modern facilities and well trained personnel ensuring an enabling environment for healthcare workers as well as institution of people-oriented policies”.
“Providing modern health care infrastructure such as the New Compact Hospital Complex. School of Nursing and Midwifery ostels. House Officers’ Quarters, Resident Doctors Quarters, cological Drainage and Roads are among the card inal objectives of Mr. President’s Transformation Agenda as prioritized under the National Strategic Health Development Plan.
“Under this plan, government is motivating existing local health manpower and encouraging Nigerian health experts based abroad to return to ensure that Nigerians get easy access to high quality health care and more importantly, minimise medical tourism”.
“I am particularly impressed with the establishment at the Schools of Basic Nursing and Midwifery in the Hospital, which will go a long way in providing well qualified nurses and midwives not just for this hospital but for other hospitals in the state and its environs.
In the past four years, Nigerian health care system has witnessed remarkable improvement as Government has invested heavily in strengthening human resources by scaling up the Midwifes Service Scheme (MSS) providing health facilities and instituting the maternal and Child health (MCI-I) component of SURE-P”.
“The government is modernising medical diagnostics and upgrading several tertiary health care facilities to meet the standard existing in those countries where Nigerians seek foreign medical treatment”.
“As such, it has so far modernized and reequipped to international standard in phases, 14 Federal Tertiary Hospitals across the country to deliver quality health care. The Government is in the process of modernizing the remaining Teaching Hospitals, FETHA inclusive, and the revamping of the 14 already modernized Teaching hospitals through Public Private Partnership with VAMED Nig Ltd”.
“I must commend the Chief Medical Director (CMD) and the Board of Management of FETHA for their vision of re-engineering and restructuring the hospital. The Management of the hospital has been the driving force behind the building projects that I am about to commission today.”
The chairman, Board of Management of the Hospital, Alhaji Suleiman Abdulahi Dawaki Kudu expressed hope that the laudable projects will, in no small measure, spur the Federal Government towards the replication of the projects in other states and localities of the Federation for the provision of excellence in our healthcare delivery services.
With the unfolding success story of the teaching Hospital, it is little wonder that it is fast becoming the destination of choice for local, national and international scientific and medical conferences, Annual General Meeting of medical associations, medical and health related workshops as well as the celebrations to mark United Nations Special Days connected with health issues.
Hardly a month passes without one of such event. Fifteen of such events actually held in the Hospital last year including the Scientific Conference & Annual General Meeting of National Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, Medical Women Association of Nigeria Dialogue etc.
This is in line with Ezeonu’s vision for the institution. In his words: “Our plan is to move to an international standard teaching hospital so that Nigerians can stop going to India, England and other places for treatment because these people in India are not better than us, and they do not come to Nigeria for medical treatment That is our target in FETHA. We have all it environment”
”Our motto is Excellence in Health Care Delivery. I want people in this state and the entire Nigerians to know that FETHA has come to stay, to serve and deliver world class medical services to the people. And apart from delivering medical services as a teaching hospital, we shall continue to train younger ones for better performance, we shall also be offering practical and theoretical teaching to both the Federal University at Ndufu Alike Ikwo, the Ebonyi State University and our own School of Nursing and Midwifery. People should know that we are here to work and give in the best we can to better the society.”
With such reassuring pledge from the CMD, it can be said that things can only get better at FETHA as the Management seeks to break new grounds in climbing to the top of the league of global players among the teaching hospital world community.
The Kogi State Governor Idris Wada has laid the foundation for Kogi State University Teaching Hospital with a promise to ensure timely completion of the project.
According to the governor, the first phase is put at the cost of over N1.7billion for the entire building up to roofing stage. The internal work on ground floor and technical facilities would be completed at another N1.7billion, which also included furniture and equipment.
The 250-bed teaching hospital, Wada explained, is his administration’s desire to better the lot of the people through better healthcare services as encapsulated in his administration’s transformation agenda.
The hospital which is a two floor building, Wada disclosed, would comprise major clinical areas of medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, dentistry, pathology, sub specialty areas, bulk store and administration.
He disclosed that the Teaching Hospital, when completed, would be research hospital with cutting edge technology, and assured of the political will that will make for seamless migration of medical students.
Is Rivers State set to conquer Ebola if it rears its head? The government and other stakeholders say yes, but a few believe that sensitisation on the deadly disease, which has so far been confined to Lagos, started late and is not enough.
Rivers State Commissioner for Health Dr. Sampson Parker said the state invited doctors from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, United States to train health workers on how to handle likely Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases.
Dr. Parker said the Rotimi Amaechi administration was being proactive because of the state’s proximity to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and other countries affected by the deadly disease, especially by sea. “We want to assure Rivers people that the government, which effectively handled the outbreak of the Lassa fever, will also tackle the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Our health workers have been kitted to handle the EVD, even though no case has been reported.”
But some medical experts have argued that the government responded too slowly on the Ebola virus unlike other state in the federation.
“It was just last week that the ministry of health started making noise about the Ebola case, now they have brought in foreign doctors, saying they are ready to fight Ebola. But the question is: what has state government done to sensitise the teeming population in the state, especially at the grassroots level? The state government and its agency must institutionalise communication and awareness campaign about Ebola virus in all the local government areas because prevention is better than cure,” Dr. Emmanuel Ohwor said.
Dr. Chijioke Igwe said since Rivers State has not recorded any case yet, awareness should be the main concern.
“So the primary concern of the state government is how to create awareness about the deadly virus in the state. As I am talking to you now, many people in this state still believe that the story of Ebola virus is untrue. So, this is our major challenge for now and not to bring doctors from abroad. Our people need to know about Ebola. The UPTH, BMSH and other hospitals in the state should send team of their staff to the rural area to educate the people.”
Dr. Sunny Chinenye, a consultant Physician who spoke at an Ebola awareness campaign organised by the University of Port Harcourt, said those living in the rural areas should be the first to be sensitised about Ebola virus.
His reason: “These are people that set trap for bat and play with monkeys. They have access to bush -meat than those who live in the city. The culture of washing hands always is alien to them. They respect the tradition so much that they could sleep with the bodies of their relatives or loved ones. Of course, the body of an Ebola patient has more of the virus than when the patient was alive. So, the state must not relax. The government should put a proactive measure to contain the virus.”
For Prof. Aaron Ojule, Chief Medical Director, University Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), his concern is that the state should prepare for Ebola as if it were already there.
He said: “We cannot claim ignorance of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Port Harcourt. We may say it will not come but what if it comes, what we do? We must prepare for it and put adequate measures in place to face the challenge. To be frank, nobody knows which state is next.”
Prof. Ojule said the hospital’s management has educated health workers on Ebola virus, especially those working at the laboratories. He said the awareness campaign was also to prepare the health workers on the change in job ethics.
“I want to thank the hospital’s Infection Awareness Committee for putting this workshop together. This is mainly to educate the health workers on the need to be alert by handling every patient, even if the person has headache, he or she will be regarded as a potential carrier of Ebola disease. This decision is in line with the Federal Government’s declaration of state of emergency on Ebola virus. It will assist the members of staff of the hospital to stay alert on any patient whether positive on Ebola virus or not.
“The hospital must prepare for the challenge of the outbreak of Ebola disease by creating awareness to doctors and nurses whom reports and evidence have shown are at the greatest risk due to their professional calling. We are working with both the state and federal governments to see how we can contain the epidemic. We must protect ourselves, at the same time we don’t pray that any case should come but what if it comes? The doctors and nurses must be prepared.”
He added that the hospital was working hard to improve its diagnostic capability.
Another expert, Dr. Awopeju Temitayo, said the laboratory workers must be more conscious than any other person in the case of Ebola, adding that the room where an Ebola patient is being kept and the laboratory where the blood sample is examined are highly infectious and should be avoided except with safety wears.
“I think I will suggest that we should be more careful at our various homes and environment. Some of us sleep in the same house with rat and we don’t care to chase them away from our homes. From today, I want to plead that we should kill the rats and ensure that no other ones come into our house again. This is because we don’t know where the rat is coming from. It may have contact with animals living with Ebola virus. People must also learn how to avoid fresh meat, stop touching fresh meat; those in abattoir are in a very high risk because they touch fresh meat. If that meat has Ebola virus, then the virus is more effective in fresh meat than when it is boiled or dried.”
Significantly, many in the state still consider Ebola a myth. A visit to motor parks and drinking joints showed that the ‘word’ Ebola sounded funny to this class of people. For them, it is another trick by the Whiteman to deceive Africans.
Mr. Boniface Nduka, a bus assistant popularly called conductor, said: “Please don’t allow people to deceive you; it was HIV/AIDS to Lassa, now it is Ebola. How did they know that the name is Ebola? Oh, the Whiteman has been using our brain. If this disease kills the way they are talking about it now, we would have been in the grave. Now think about it, how many Whitemen have contacted the disease?”
A passenger, who spoke with Niger Delta Report on a bus heading to Mile 4 axis of Port Harcourt, Chinaka Ugomati, said: “There is nothing called Ebola disease, it is another strategy for America to make money from the African countries. The Americans know about the disease; that was they were able to stabilise their citizens who contracted the Ebola disease. Where do they see the drugs? Believe me, they are after our oil; they want to wipe us out as to take our oil.”
The argument by Ugomati and Nduka show that more awareness still needs to be done.
