BEVERLY HILLS, CA, November 19, (THEWILL) – Apparently overwhelmed by the effects of the Boko Haram insurgency on its facilities, the authorities of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) have called on the Federal Government to assist the institution with special intervention fund to enable it address major challenges in researches and provision of health services.
Chairman of the UMTH Governing Board, Dr. Willie Ogbeide, made the appeal on Monday during the inspection of facilities and on-going projects in the hospital, saying the hospital requires more medical equipment and expansion to be able to meet up with its mandate of being a major health institution in the Northeast.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government and 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 Northeast.
“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.
Ogbeide lamented that the insecurity in the State did not allow the hospital to generate funds internally, stressing that the hospital has been treating many patients who could not settle their medical bills.
“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 said.
The appeal came as the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Prof Abdurrahaman, said the hospital was making efforts to deliver on its mandate but was faced with the challenge of maintaining the medical equipment supplied through the Vamed programme during the regime 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 who installed them.
“Most of the medical equipment in this hospital were supplied through Vamed project during President Obasanjo and there is no transfer of technology to our local engineers. The arrangement we have with Vamed has expired and now, we are battling with the challenge of getting qualified hands to get them repaired,” he said.
He however assured that the hospital was ready serve the Northeast sub-region and Nigeria, saying all necessary requirements for the accreditation of the School of Biomedical Engineering have been completed and that the hospital would soon file its proposal for the accreditation .
The facilities and projects inspected include the central sewage plant, new doctors quarters, 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 motorised stretcher bay and pharmacy auditorium.
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