Following series of complaints as regards the state of facilities, attitudes of personal treatments of patients in the Central Hospital Agbor by several patients, Ika Weekly reporters decided to investigate and identify the truth of the matter.
An aged woman name withheld has bemoaned the deplorable state of the Central Hospital Agbor. According to her, she visited the hospital for medical treatment when she had arthritis and was disappointed with the state of the toilet describing it as an eyesore saying that someone could even contact infections by making use of the toilet facility. She stated that in the five days she stayed in the hospital, there was a complete blackout during the first three days. She also bemoaned the lackadaisical attitudes of the nurses to work saying that some of the nurses on night shift sleep all through the night and opined that they are probably short staffed. She added that the reasons some of the doctors have divided attention is because they have their private hospitals.
READ ALSO: COUPLE BLESSED WITH TWIN BABIES AFTER 19 YEARS
Another source noted that some of the medical staff sometimes conspire to make sure that patients treatments are frustrated and are redirected to their private hospitals. The source who craved anonymous said that his wife visited a private hospital and was asked to go for a test, she went for the test and decided to get treatment at the Central Hospital believing that she would be better treated there but was treated shabbily. According to the source “ When the doctors got to know that it was one of their colleagues in the hospital that asked her to go for the test she was not treated that night and was referred to Federal Medical Centre Asaba, even when they knew it was a threatening situation that needed urgent attention
Mr Monday Osagie, who was met at the gate of the hospital by Ika Weekly reporters when they visited said that his child who was very ill and was brought to the Central Hospital got a bad treatment, complaining that the doctor attending to them was very rude and shouted at them while the child was in serious pain. According to him, the doctor instructed them to go to the laboratory for test, adding that when they went and returned to his office, he just abandoned them for a long time doing nothing. I had to take my child away to a private hospital.
Ika Weekly reporters visited the Medical Director, Dr. Philemon Okolie in his office to solicit responses as regards the complaints.
The MD while responding advised that anyone with complaints over misconducts or ill treatments received from any of the medical staff within the hospital should be free to report to the administrative office. He said his office is very much free to deal largely with such cases and that patients should always report to them before going to publicize their anger. He added that some of the things that were complained might be true and might not be true but cannot be concretized since the administrative department of the hospital did not have such information.
He pleaded with patients to realize that he cannot be everywhere or know everything while stating that the he can only work with the information at his disposal. He acknowledged that there are some medical staff who might exhibit some professional misconducts and that those persons do not represent the entire staff of Agbor Central Hospital. According to him “Even Jesus who had 12 disciples he chose by himself had one as a betrayer”. Continuing he said, “we have a code of conduct for medical practitioners that stipulates punishments for medical staff who goes against our professional conducts but how do we know them if you do not tell us. For me to act I must be informed.”
He further said that the hospital has a panel that severely deals with such misconducts and that many recommendations by the panel have already been submitted and were on his table. He disclosed that some of the punishments include demotion, suspension, denial of a month’s salary and outright sack from the hospitals. Finally he added that a lot of patients are not always patient enough and maintained that one can hardly see any doctor in the hospital who is idle.