The chairman governing board of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Dr Willie Ogbeide has appealed to the Federal Government to assist the hospital with special intervention fund to address its major challenges in researches and provision of health services.
Willie, who made the appeal on Wednesday in Maiduguri while inspecting facilities and on-going projects in the hospital, said the hospital required more medical equipment and expansion tto meet up with its mandate, being a major health institution in the North East.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government and the private sector to assist the hospital with special fund. The hospital needs intervention at this critical period than any other tertiary health institution in the country to meet its mandate because of the challenge of insecurity in the North East. We need to improve on the quality of our medical equipment and maintain the one on ground because of the increasing demand for health services in this area”, he said.
The chairman said the situation in Borno did not encourage generation of fund internally, adding that the hospital had been treating many patients who could not settle their medical bill free due to the impact of the insurgency on their economy.
“Many of the patients coming to our hospital cannot even afford to pay their medical bills because the insecurity has affected their sources of income as many have been dislodged from their businesses and work. In this regard, the hospital has been carrying out some of its services free but we need to meet our mandate, the hospital need to move beyond its present state and for us to meet our mandate, we will need intervention”, he stated.
He however said the hospital was forging ahead despite the condition.
Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof Abdurrahaman disclosed that the hospital was making effort to deliver in its mandate but said it faced a major problem of maintenance of medical equipment supplied through the Vamed programme during former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He said most of the equipment could not be serviced by local engineers and technicians due to lack of transfer of technology by the Vamed engineers that installed them.
“Most of the medical equipment in this hospital were supplied through Vamed project during President Obasanjo and there was no transfer of technology to our local engineers. The arrangement between Vamed and us has expired and now, we are battling with the challenge of getting qualified hands to get them repaired”, he disclosed.
He said the hospital was prepared to offer the best of service to the North East sub-region and Nigeria, assuring that the management was committed to changing the situation at the hospital for better. He said all necessary requirements for the accreditation of the school of biomedical engineering have been completed, adding that the hospital would soon file its proposal for the accreditation of the school.
Among the facilities and projects inspected include the central sewage plant, new doctors’ quarters, and school of biomedical engineering, oxygen production and refill plant, kidney centre, new amenity extension and radiology ultrasound.
Others are infectious diseases ward, renovated teaching area, NHI/Retainer-ship complex, dental/ENT complex, new Gynnae ward/consultants offices, five hospital motorized stretcher bay and pharmacy auditorium.
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