National Daily

N100b fraud rocks Edo Hospital

• Death tolls rises • Doctors, Nurses abandon hospital

From COLLINS EKE, Benin
AS the searchlight focuses on the misdeeds of the recently sacked Professor Oserheimen Osunbor administration, it has been exposed that a whopping sum of N100 billion meant for the rehabilitation and procurement of equipment for the Central Hospital, Benin City, was allegedly misappropriated. National Daily reliably gathered that the fund was never utilised for said purposes, rather top health officials and party big-wigs who hijacked the contracts squandered it.

The revelation came amid indication that the management of Central Hospital Benin City, is under intense attack over the wanting attitude of its workers, especially doctors and nurses towards emergency and out-patients. The private practice business booms for the health officers.
The ousted Prof Osunbor had disbursed the money in three instalments as he aimed to inject vibrancy into the dilapidated healthcare edifice.

But the fund was alleged mismanaged by top officials of the state-owned hospital who merely supervised the shoddy jobs of the contractors who are now at large. Indeed, most of the renovation works had since collapsed, National Daily gathered.

For instance, a building close to the theatre, our sources said, allegedly gulped the sum of N100 million but the contractor laid a shaky foundation.

It was also learnt that equipment supplies were contracted to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 'big wigs' who merely bolted with the millions of naira as there was little to show for the money disbursed.
Worst worrying is the renovation of the old buildings which the sources said gulped N5 million on an ordinary painting and changing of the roof.

But the former commissioner for Health has dispelled the fraud as rumour, adding that whatever fund released by the then governor was judiciously used for the development of the hospital.

"What we meant at the state hospital was a disaster, nothing to show it was a real hospital hence the state government pumped in some funds to bring it to a standard hospital," he said.
He disclosed that the deposed Osunbor-led administration was committed to the development of standard hospitals and had renovated most of the existing ones in the state.

Despite the claimed face-lift, the hospital has continued to record senseless deaths as a result of dearth of the health workers who refused to change their poor attitude towards patients seeking medical attention.
Several patients at the hospital located among Sapele Road in the state capital, last week relayed their ugly experience to National Daily. For instance, a youngman who was recently hospitalised explained that it took three days after his admission before a doctor could attend to him. Worse still, the doctor did a wrong diagnosis that he was suffering from acute malaria. But when his condition would not improve, he requested to see another doctor. The new doctor eventually established that the patient has life-threatening lungs problem. His situation, however, has deteriorated before the latest findings.

It is general knowledge that the Central Hospital is deserted by doctors and nurses who abandoned their duty posts for private practice in different clinics and hospitals which they use as 'referral' centres in the state.
For years, the deplorable attitude of the staff of the hospital has continued unabated. Patients who go to the hospital have always complained of poor treatment.
Another patient who was on admission when National Daily visited the hospital narrated how he tried to see doctor for consultation.

"I have to wait for four hours only to be given an appointment for the following day. The doctor showed up for duty several hours after the time he gave me for the appointment."
As if the doctor and nurses attitude are not bad enough, the situation at the pharmacy department of the hospital, is another sham show.

National Daily investigation revealed that at the unit, the dispensing officers busied themselves chatting away, eating or reading newspapers, and were ignoring enquires from patients. When our correspondent tried to intervene, the dispensing officers simply replied that they were "very busy."

It took a threat to call in senior officers before they attended to the patients.
Given the huge resources the ousted Osunbor regime allegedly sunk into repositioning the hospital for affective health care delivery, and worries of bad management, only a change of attitude by the workers will make the Edo people not to term the effort as totally wasted.