University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The decadence of the vital facilities in the only major referral hospital in Rivers State, the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, UPTH, is now a cause for concern for patients and their relatives who are calling for state of emergency to be declared at the hospital.

Our investigation which was triggered by deluge of complaints by patients showed that facilities in almost all the departments of the hospital are in the state of disrepair, while some needed to be completely replaced.

At the Eye clinic, the equipments used to scan the inner retina and interior of the eyes are in the state of disrepair. Vital examinations are referred to private clinics by Doctors and the patients bear the brunt.

One of the senior doctors in the department confided in our correspondent that:”It is painful to us, doctors,  that tools to work and do critical diagnosis of the ailments of our patients are either obsolete or lack minor maintenance. We regrettably refer our patients outside to get proper diagnosis.”

He stated further that: “We even request that our patients buy clinical gloves and cotton wool from outside pharmacies because of the Out-of-Stock syndrome in the hospital.

Besides the poor facilities, the Doctors and Nurses are overwhelmed by the number of patients who come to clinics daily to seek medical attention for their eye problems.

At the Medical Out Patients Department, MOPD, where patients who have high blood pressure issues like heart, liver, diabetes problems are attended to, it was shocking to find out the equipment for testing Echocardiogram, ECO and Electrocardiogram,  ECG have all packed up.

Worse still, the ECG and Eco units on MOPD are always in darkness.”We have been out of power supply for weeks now. We have complained to the authority to fix the problem. But we were told the problem is a minor fault. But as I speak with you,(Monday October 30) we can’t do our job because there is no electricity to power our ECG or Eco scanners which are not even working.”

It was also found out that patients who want to undergo ECG or Eco scans are referred to private diagnostic laboratories like Orange Diagnostic lab at the gate of UPTH or St. George’s diagnosis at the popular Mummy B road, off Stadium road in Port Harcourt.

Our correspondent investigations at Orange Lab found revealed that an ECG test costs N8, 000 while Eco test costs N38, 000. Despite the exorbitant costs for various laboratory tests, patients are daily compelled to patronize the private clinics by doctors who allegedly get some percentage of costs paid to the clinics for referring patients to them.

In the adult female and male wards, patients fetch water with buckets to flush their toilets after use.

It was also found out that at night, the ever notorious “UPTH mosquitoes” swarm on patients like bees. This has created business for hawkers of mosquito repellant creams and electronic mosquito bats who move from one ward to another selling mosquito repellants to patients who could afford them.

A patient on admission in the male ward told our correspondent that one is compelled to treat malaria after discharge due to mosquito bites from the nearby, overgrown bush competing for space with the hospital.

It was difficult getting the image maker, Mr. Ken Elebiga, of UPTH to react to the issue of decaying facilities at the hospital and other issues at press time at he was not in the office when our correspondent visited on Monday October 30.

Subsequent calls put across to his phone did not go through.

Resident Doctors and Joint Health Staff Union have at several times embarked on strike to press home their welfare demands and the need to upgrade the facilities at UPTH.

Patients lament poor state of facilities as well as the financial burden of patronising private laboratories to get acceptable test results.

They therefore called on the hospital management and federal government to urgently declare state of emergency in hospital to alleviate the plight of patients.