UPTH

Prof. Henry Ugboma, the new Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), says he has uncovered a money guzzling machine draining millions of Naira in the institution.

Ugboma told newsmen on Monday in Port Harcourt that the Cashless Service System (CSS) introduced for patients by the management of the institution was energising misappropriation of funds.

He said that the system was closed immediately he discovered the “machine’’ was driving fraud in the university’s financial management system.

“I suspended the cashless system because when I came and did a review of the system we discovered that the hospital is losing millions of Naira through it.

“But when we introduced direct payment we are now generating more funds.

“We will bring a new technology that will checkmate the system before we can restore it.

“We found out that the system is generating misappropriation of funds; we closed the system and reverted to the usual physical payment.

“This manual payment has helped the hospital to generate more funds.

“The CSS has affected UPTH heavily but we are back on track,” he said.

Ugboma urged staff and members of the hospital to maintain integrity and professionalism in discharging their duties.

The CMD warned that anyone caught involving in any form of sharp practice would be sacked.

“I appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for this appointment as the Chief Executive of this teaching hospital,” Ugboma said.

Ugboma assured the public that their concern and complain had already received serious attention by the management.

“I have ordered the immediate suspension of the CSS introduced nearly three years ago to enable us evaluate the critical aspects of the payment mode and so members of the public will for now pay cash for service, while service charges are also being reviewed downwards ahead of a comprehensive pocket friendly, swift response to patient system will be unveiled in a few months time,” he said.

He called on families that have abandoned remains of their relations at the UPTH mortuary for more than two years to urgently come and claim them.

Ugboma however said that the hospital would conduct mass burial of corpses that were not evacuated within two weeks.