…insists 14 babies did not die at the hospital
By: Felix Ikpotor
Management of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), has advised Nigerians to keep partisan politics away from issues relating to healthcare and hospitals in the country.
Chief Medical Director, UPTH, Prof Henry Ugboma, gave the advice while reacting to a series of disturbing reports about death of babies in the hospital and other anomalies said to be happening in the facility.
Ugboma who suspected that his political detractors might have masterminded the spread of the reports, said that UPTH and other hospitals were meant to save lives, and not to destroy lives and as such political and personal problems should not be brought to scare away patients that need medical attention being provided in the hospital.
He insisted that fourteen babies didn’t die in the hospital’s incubators, describing the report as false and intended to embarrass the hospital.
The CMD urged media practitioners to always verify their information before publishing.
“A hospital is meant to save lives. When people report about a hospital, it should be geared towards saving lives and not destroying lives. Journalism should be practiced in such a way that it’s fact-based and if any information must be released, it must be verified when it is hospital-related.
“If you keep sending negative and false information, it may lead to the death of our citizens, it means it will scare away those who are supposed to come use the facility. UPTH has all the experts in whatever field, the hospital trained most of the doctors working in the states around us and in Port Harcourt, it is a referral center.
“And that is why department like radiology is well equipped and can not be measured to any other department in the whole country. When reports are made without verifying, the person in question may want to make news, but in making that news, lives are destroyed because there are patients that can not afford fees charge outside this Government facility.
“Politics should not be brought into what concerns a hospital, personal grudges, scores should not be settled in the hospital or you have one or two experiences you are not satisfied with, do not use it to pull down the facility. In doing that, it affects the workforce. When we have qualified pediatricians, how will sit down and watch fourteen babies die?” he said.
On the allegation that doctors carry out surgical operations with torch light, Ugboma said no trained medical doctor can perform operations on patients with torch or candle lights.
“UPTH can never perform any operations without electricity; we have four giant generators and six smaller ones to carry out medical procedures in the hospital.
“Don’t use UPTH to create bad news in the society, let us promote the activities in the hospital, instead of destroying it, let us attract investors than tarnishing the corporate image of the hospital,” he stated.
He further urged patients or their relatives that have issues to approach the management for prompt response.
Ugboma also used the opportunity to solicit support of relevant authorities, corporate organizations and well meaning Nigerians, to support the hospital, as he noted that the hospital receives no support from Rivers State government despite managing the healthcare of the state and helping to train its doctors.
“Federal government can not do everything, we need alot. Before the transformer had issue, we used an average of two trucks monthly which amounts to 30 million naira. Everyone knows the issue of diesel in the country right now.
“Is it the money that our poor population pay we will use to be buying diesel all the time? It is expensive to run a hospital. The Rivers State government does not give us support. It cares for the state’s facilities but ignores this one. Meanwhile, we manage everybody in the state. If they have issues, they refer them to us to manage, we train their medical students and yet not a Kobo is giving to us.
“Individuals can help us, when they come to the hospital and take care of the indigent, we have been having assistance but we need more,” he stated.
