Following negative media reports on the state of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), the management of the hospital has urged Nigerians not to play politics with issues of healthcare and hospitals.
Chief Medical Director, UPTH, Prof Henry Arinze Ugboma, stated this to newsmen in Port Harcourt during a media briefing.
Ugboma said that UPTH and other hospitals were meant to save lives, and not to destroy lives, as he described the reports as embarrassing, fake, unprofessional, and capable of destroying the society.
The CMD said the issue of politics and personal problems should not be brought to UPTH to discourage patients and their relatives.
He noted that negative reports affect the well-being of the society.
UPTH, Ugboma said,was mandated to trains doctors, nurses, and also carry out researches in the region, adding that UPTH was a recognised referral centre in Niger Delta and beyond, and not an ordinary hospital.
“Here, we manage complicated cases that some hospitals cannot do. We have qualified experts to manage any case in the hospital”.
On the issue of power outrage in the hospital, Ugboma said the hospital had problem with its transformer for some few days, saying that power was later restored to the hospital.
He also decried the rumour making the rounds that 14 babies died in the hospital incubators, but insisted that no child or babies died”.
On issue of doctors carrying 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 destroyingit, let us attract investors than tarnishing the corporate image of the hospital”.
He charged journalists to always verify their stories before publishing in order not to destroy the society.
UPTH, he said, remains focused to do its best in health care delivery in the region as the hospital had trained doctors and other health practitioner’s across the country.

By: Chinedu Wosu