By: Felix Ikpotor
The University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital. UPTH, has denied a trending report on the death of over fourteen babies in the hospital’s incubator due to power outage.
Port Harcourt Spectator reports that news went viral on social media two days ago that babies were dying in the hospital as a result of power outage, while pregnant women were delivered of their babies by the hospital’s midwives using rechargeable lamps and phone touch lights thereby leading to death of their babies.
It was also reported that doctors in the hospital suspended surgeries due to power outage.
Acting Public Relation Officer of UPTH, Elabha Meni while reacting the reports in a statement she issued, maintained that the hospital did not record any infant mortality in their Special Care Baby Unit SCBU nor did doctors suspend surgery procedures as speculated.
She explained that though there was an electrical problem in the facility as a result of faulty transformer, there was no record of any infant mortality in the SCBU (inborn and outborn), as the standby generator serviced the hospital for the period, with all emergency areas fully powered.
She said the report was false and is intended at damaging the hospital’s image.
“Our attention has been drawn to a story of the fourteen (14) to Nineteen (19) babies dying in the hospital, this is not correct. Surgeries were never cancelled, neither were our services disrupted.
“UPTH is a known center for Excellence, a citadel of training, research and health care delivery. The University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital is an institution, where world’s best medical standards are practiced and maintained.
“Which also has helped made the institution one of the best medical center in the South-south and Nigeria at large.
“However, it is quite saddening that certain persons try to tarnish the image of the hospital by spreading false messages and information that are inaccurate.
“The management of UPTH frowns seriously at such scandalous social media propaganda that is damaging it’s image. We want the general public to know that we remain committed in our service to humanity.” She said.
