Ikem General Hospital in the Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State is currently in a shambles. While an essential block in the hospital remains in ruins, the doctors hardly come to work, writes RAPHAEL EDE
The Ikem General Hospital situated on 10 hectares of land and located at Ikem-Ogor autonomous community along Obollo-Afor – Ikem – Eha-Amufu -Nkalagu Federal road is now a shade of itself.
Built in 1975, the hospital serves the health needs of residents of the old Isi-Uzo Local Government Area, including the current Udenu Local Government Area and some communities in both Ebonyi and Benue states.
A visit to the once vibrant hospital last Sunday shows that it has completely been ruined.
For instance, the hospital’s power house has completely been destroyed, and as a result, the hospital has for long been thrown into total darkness.
Also, the block housing both the maternity and surgical wards, drug store, labour room among others, was demolished in 2020 by the state government with a promise of rebuilding it to meet international standard, but since then, nothing has been done.
Apparently, due to inadequate toilet facilities in the hospital, the hospital community, presently defecate in and around the demolished hospital block, notwithstanding the health implications.
It was observed that some recovered bed springs and hospital equipment from the demolished ward block were parked at the out-patient department waiting room.
It was gathered that the demolition of the hospital block was sequel to The PUNCH report in 2020 which highlighted the glaring deplorable condition of the building.
Also, the doctors’ quarters though newly refurbished, is not presently inhabited, while only one nurse is presently living in the nurses’ quarters.
The only thing that appears to be working in the hospital is the mortuary facility, and the diagnostic laboratory located at the Out- Patient Department block.
A block of house built near the OPD since 2020 is still under lock and key even as some staff of the hospital told our correspondent that they did not know what use the structure would be put to.
It was observed that the hospital surroundings are overgrown with weeds, while the psychiatrist block had its roof razed by fire.
Though, it was written at the hospital sign post that the hospital operates 24/7 hours, there was no single staff member seen at the hospital during the visit.
The PUNCH gathered that before the government demolished the block housing the wards, the nurses, doctors and paramedics in the hospital, moved to the OPD block to avoid the building collapsing on them and their patients.
A staff member of the hospital who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said that most staff were not coming to work because they had no place to stay to perform their respective functions.
According to the worker, “the demolished block is a maternity section of the General Hospital. It also contained labour room and laboratories.
“Since it was demolished, we don’t have a block where we can stay. Invariably there is no work to do because you cannot stay under the sun to attend to sick people.”
The worker, however, noted that there was a building which had been completed over two years but had yet to be handed over to the hospital management.
Another worker of the hospital who spoke to our correspondent on condition that his name will not be mentioned in print, described the hospital as the poorest general hospital in the state in terms of infrastructure deficits, doctors and visitors attendance.
“There is no electricity supply in most of the existing facilities. The hospital ward has collapsed and the one the government built there has no bed and other equipment.
“There are two doctors and few nurses in the hospital, but the doctors scarcely come to work. When they do, they would clock attendance and go back to their private hospitals,” he complained.
He added, “This hospital initially had five doctors, and because of the demolition, there are only two doctors here, but they barely come to work.
“All the nurses except one who lives at the nurses’ quarters, presently live in Enugu the State capital.
“Two nurses will come today for instance, tomorrow one person will come. Some days, none of the nurses will come at all.
“They (nurses) hardly come to work on weekends, despite the fact that the hospital claims to operate 24/7 hours.”
On how they handle emergency cases, the worker said emergency cases were referred to Enugu or private hospitals in Eha-Amufu.
“We refer some cases like child delivery to a nearby health centre because it is only in that health centre that you can see staff.
“As you can see, the main hospital building which houses the wards had been demolished, and is yet to be rebuilt nearly three years after demolition.
“As you can see the hospital has become a bush. All the beds and other hospital equipment removed from the demolished building were parked at the OPD waiting room. Currently, we don’t have theater where surgery is carried out.
“We are begging the government to come and rescue the hospital because it serves the entire Isi-Uzo Local Government Area and some parts of Benue and Ebonyi states.”
However, some residents who spoke with our correspondent, said they had no other government hospital in the community which houses the headquarters of the local government.
They appealed to the government not to turn its back on the hospital, lamenting that so many sick people have died while they were being transported to Enugu which is about 30 kilometres away to get medical help.
Martin Odo, lamented that so many people had died because of the state of the hospital and attitude of staff who barely come to work.
Odo said “the hospital is in a shambles – one it does not have ambulance. You can imagine that one of the doctors took the ambulance to his home town.”
He explained that the doctors’ quarters were renovated recently all in a bid to make the doctors stay around and attend to patients yet the doctors hardly come to work let alone living in the quarters.
“While the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is living in Nsukka, the second doctor is living in Eha-Amufu where he runs his private hospital to the detriment of the general hospital here.
“People now go from Ikem to his private clinic in Eha-Amufu to be treated whereas general hospital here nobody goes there. The CMO took the hospital ambulance and the generator to his private hospital in Nsukka.
“It is very shameful that the state Hospital Management Board has decided to ignore Ikem general hospital.
“The former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Fintan Ekochin, had once told our people that he considers what is happening at the Ikem general hospital as shameful. He went further to tell us that he doesn’t regard it as a general hospital or hospital at all.
“So, the State Government is aware but they are playing politics with the hospital. Even Dr. Okechukwu Ossia, the current Chairman, Enugu State Hospital Management Board is aware of what is happening in the hospital.
“He is from Orba and this hospital, once served his community and all the communities in the old Isi-Uzo Local Government Area which included Obollo-Afor.
“The government is renovating all other hospitals including general hospitals in Enugu State except this Ikem General Hospital. What is the problem? Why would the government leave Ikem general hospital to get to this sorry state. It is very bad. People die here because of lack of good hospital around.”
Another resident, Stanley Ogbodo, told The PUNCH that he lost two of his cousins when they came to the hospital on emergency and were referred to Eha-Amufu because there was no doctor attend to them.
“My two cousins died while they were being taken to Eha-Amufu on medical emergency. My other cousin died there in Eha-Amufu while they were going to take treatment.
“At least the hospital should be able to handle an emergency case, stabilize the patient before if the case is beyond them it could be referred to a teaching hospital. You went around the hospital and saw things for yourself. Honestly, does the hospital look like a hospital? Do you see anybody in the hospital? No.”
The Chairman of Ikem General Assembly, Prof Chijioke Ugwu, told our correspondent when contacted that they had done everything they could to get government attention to the hospital but to no avail. “So, we cannot fight the government. The worst is that the doctors and nurses do not come to work.”
He added “I hope you have been to the hospital, there is no ward. Patients do not pass the night there.
When the Chairman, Enugu State Hospital Management Board, Dr Okechukwu Ossia, was contacted for reaction, he admitted that there were some problems, but disclosed that he had directed the hospital to start making use of the newly built block in the hospital complex.
He said, “A new building was constructed which I directed them to pack in. They (hospital) have a 30KVA gen set which they packed because of fueling and also 504 ambulance car with the doctor.” ,,
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