The resolve by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi led administration to transform the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane into a world-class health institution, may not materialize soon, as some workers are neck-deep in fraudulent activities, DAILY POST has uncovered.
There is a well coordinated activity by some highly placed staff of the hospital, who thrive in diverting patients, and as well use hospital equipment to make personal money.
Governor Ugwuanyi had in the first week of his assumption of office, paid a visit to the Parklane, where he pledged that the government would pay the hospital bills of nineteen nursing mothers at the maternity ward and that of Amanda Kalu and Dennis Amanda in the surgery and gynecology wards amounting to millions of naira.
The Governor, who was conducted round the hospital wards by the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Gabriel Njeze, equally said that his administration would ensure that Enugu State is a preferred destination in the healthcare delivery services in Nigeria.
He commended the management of the hospital for their efforts to look after the patients and urged them to double efforts in complimenting government determination to improve healthcare of the people.
However, an investigation carried out by DAILY POST showed that some highly placed staff of the hospital are hell bent on frustrating government efforts.
The group, which operates as a clique, cuts across the doctors, nurses, lab attendants, among others.
Speaking to our correspondent, one of the patients, who visited the hospital, disclosed that as soon as she got there, and requested to have laboratory tests, a lab attendant told her that there was no need doing the test at the Parklane.
She said, “I have never seen such thing in my life. He told me that all I needed to do was to allow him collect my sample and then give him money; that he would conduct the test privately even at a reduced fee and give me the result.
“I was shocked because I never knew that such thing was going on there. I turned his idea down and decided to see one of the doctors on duty.
“After the few minutes of consultation, the doctor penciled down the test I needed to do; I was about leaving his room when he referred me to a particular laboratory in Ogui Road.
“According to him, there was no need doing it at Parklane because I won’t get the accurate result. He said that those working at the Parklane laboratory section were merely IT students and that as such they would not give him the accurate result he needed.”
She added that “at that point, I was confused. I decided to follow the doctor’s instruction. On getting to the main gate, I stopped to wait for tricycle that would convey me to Ogui Road. In a spate of three minutes, the doctor rushed out with his car and volunteered to take me to the place.
“He drove me straight to the place and and left. When I got there, further conversation going on between the owner of the laboratory and one of his guests shocked me.
“When the guest, who I think is likely his friend, observed that so many people are coming to patronize the place, he said no less than 10 doctors are bringing people for him, that they have their own cut”.
The source, who pleaded anonymity, however, added that she could not do the test at the place any longer, owing to the cost.
“Whereas it would have cost me N5,000 at the Parklane, they charged me N9,500. So, I had to call a friend and he referred me to another place”, she added.
Further investigation showed that apart from pushing patients to private laboratories, most of the doctors are also diverting patients to private clinics where they have interests.
This is even as they also use the hospital’s equipment to run private treatments, despite the computerized system introduced by the management to check such fraud. According to a source in the hospital, “they are masters in the game such that they still beat the prying eyes of the Hospital’s management. There is this computerized system of billing which we operate here, but they still find a way of cheating the system.
“This is really so bad because government is paying the workers well; I wonder what these bad eggs are contributing to the system.”
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