News
UPTH Loses N1.8bn To Indigent, Run Away Patients …Performs First Successful IVF-ET, 39 Years After
The authorities of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), in Rivers State, say they have lost about N1.8billion to indigent and ran away patients from the hospital after treatment.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof Henry Ugboma made the figures public during activities to mark his one year anniversary at the hospital complex, Alakahia, Port Harcourt, last weekend.
Ugboma said, “We lost over N1.8billion through various infractions. Out of this sum, we lost N1billion to indigent patients. We also lost N0.4billion to patients who absconded after treatment. We further lost N0.4billion to stealing by all categories of staff and related sharp practices”.
He said that over the years, one major challenge of the facility had been inadequate funding of capital projects, adding that, “this particularly explains the presence of abandoned projects, occasioned by national economic constraints”.
Nonetheless, he remarked that the hospital has made some progress in service delivery in all clinical and non-clinical areas, stressing that, recently, the Nuclear Medicine; Oncology and Fire Fighting departments were fortified and expanded.
Ugboma disclosed that by 2020, three more schools would be opened at the teaching hospital, and named them to include Post Basic Nursing and Opthalmic Nursing units.
So far, he submitted that its preparatory programme for foreign-trained doctors for their qualification has recorded huge success in the last one year with pass rate of over 85 per cent.
The UPTH chief medical director also lamented the lingering security challenges at the hospital in the past three months as hoodlums harass and steal from patients and staff.
“Our facility has been under attack in the last three months by hoodlums, who harass and dispossess patients, staff, students and passersby within the hospital environment”, Ugboma lamented.
Ugboma further said that when he assumed duty in January, 2018, he inherited a dire financial indebtedness from the former acting Chief Medical Director, Dr.Tobin West.
The CMD said he met unpaid salary and welfare arrears, debt burden for drug revolving fund and other 11 revolving fund projects, insisting that he met series of abandoned projects in the hospital by the predecessor.
Ugboma said on assumption of duty, he met unsatisfactory service delivery occasioned by general work apathy, staff indiscipline and lack of motivation and infighting amongst staff.
The excited CMD also said the hospital was poorly maintained when he took over, coupled with decay of infrastructure and long waiting hours for patients to be attended to by nurses and doctors.
According to him, “Poor and challenged staff, industrial disharmony, mutual distrust, disrespect remained the order of the day as staff indiscipline unabatedly soared”.
“The decay was rapid, progressive and unchallenged, the whole environment looked abandoned while mosquitoes fed fat on patients and staff alike”, Ugboma said.
He described inadequate funding of the hospital as a major setback by the federal government and appeal for adequate funding to improve the hospital.
UPTH, Ugboma said has improve in its mandate on research, training and health care delivery service to the people as the management had made some progress in area of manpower, staff welfares, infrastructural development and others.
He told The Tide that during his 365 days in office, over N600million has been paid out of all owed debt.
The hospital he said, had completed and commissioned the abandoned Regional Burns Centre, completed the Paediatrics complex and commissioned a new Central Laboratory Sample Collection Centre.
Ugboma told The Tide that under one year as the CMD, he had equipped the Assisted Reproductive Technology ART Unit of the hospital which had commenced service with the first baby given birth to through the In-Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer IVF – ET.
Other services rendered at the ART include Artificial Inseminations, intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Injection ICSI, Gamete and Embryo Donation and freezing by Cryopreservation and Surrogacy, Office hysterosocopy to look at the endometrial pathology.
It would be recalled that the UPTH originally began operations in 1980, but was later officially commissioned by the Federal Government in 1985.
Kevin Nengia & Chinedu Wosu
The Renewed Hope Initiative in conjunction with the Rivers State Government has empowered 500 elderly citizens in Rivers State with financial support of N200,000 each.
The empowerment programme was part of activities to celebrate the third anniversary of the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme RHIESS, a social investment policy initiated by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Speaking at the event which held at the Government House, Port Harcourt, recently, under the theme, ‘Finding Joy in Old Age,’ Senator Tinubu said the gesture which has become traditional since 2023 was a mark of gratitude in recognition of the invaluable contributions of the senior citizens to nation building.
The First Lady who was represented by the wife of the Rivers State Governor and State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Lady Valerie Fubara, said the scheme was to “support two hundred and fifty (250) vulnerable elderly citizens aged 65 and above in all the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory, and veterans from the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) totalling 9,500 selected beneficiaries across the nation.
She urged the beneficiaries to engage in activities that will make them find joy in old age.
“I encourage you to continue playing your part by staying healthy and active, nurture both your body and mind through regular exercise and meaningful engagement,” Senator Tinubu advised.
On her part, Lady Fubara said the State Government through the magnanimity of the governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has increased the beneficiaries of the programme from 250 to 500.
She restated the commitment of the State Government towards provision of social welfare and improving the standard of living of the elderly in the State.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr Vetty Agala, said the State Government has through the Health4allrivers Initiative, introduced free medical care for senior citizens in the State, in line with the Renewed Hope Initiative.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to expedite the prosecution of the Director of the now distressed MBA Forex Trading, Mr. Maxwell Odum, in the interest of justice.
The Rivers State NUJ made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the EFFC’s Ag. Zonal Director, ACE Hassan Saidu, in Port Harcourt, recently.
The council’s chairman, Comrade Paul Bazia, said the appeal became imperative after it considered the number of Nigerians and others involved in the financial misconduct.
According to him, it has caused hardship among many households in the country and should be given the attention it deserves.
He said that investors cannot come into a country or invest in an economy or nation ridden with fraud.
This, he said, has made it more imperative to arrest, prosecute and convict alleged fraudsters like the MBA Forex Director, who is alleged to have defrauded thousands of unsuspecting Nigerians, to serve as a deterrent to others.
The chairman also requested that while the trial lasts, part of the swindled funds should be given to the victims that suffered loss and trauma as a result of the fraud.
The NUJ reiterated its resolve to change the narrative of reportage from crisis to developmental communication.
According to him, the NUJ’s main focus is blue economy and tourism.
He expressed the readiness of the Council to partner the agency in the area of information dissemination.
“We believe you have a responsibility to fight financial crimes. We also know that you need the Press to publicize your activities and NUJ can provide that,” he said.
Responding, the Zonal EFFC’s boss commended the NUJ’s vision to change the narrative of reporting from crisis to developmental communication.
According to Saidu, the Western world have since imbibed such culture, hence the negative stories about them are carefully sifted to allow only positive ones to be released to the outside world.
As for the trapped funds to be released, the EFCC Zonal Director stated that only the court can authorize such action, stressing that the primary responsibility of the Commission is to arrest and prosecute.
He pledged to partner with the NUJ now that the leadership has visited the Commission.
The Head of the Legal & Prosecution Department, DCE Odiase Stephen, corroborated the Zonal Director’s position and stressed that it was only when the matter has been determined by the court that such funds can be released.
He further stated that once a matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction, it cannot be discussed outside.
By: King Onunwor
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