Michael Ovat- Awka
Following complaints of lack of bed spaces for patients admissions in Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres across Nigeria, the Chief Medical Director of Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojoukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) Amaku-Awka, Anambra, Dr Joe Akabuike, has said the situation is not applicable to the state-owned teaching hospital.
He said the teaching hospital is well and fully equipped with medical facilities for effective healthcare service delivery to Nigerians.
According to Akabuike, “I understand that across the country, most tertiary and secondary health facilities (teaching hospitals and federal medical centres) are nothing to write home about.
“In most of these institutions, the situation is so bad that patients are required to provide their own medicaments such as hand gloves, syringes, bandages, among others.
“This is just as many have to purchase drugs from pharmacies outside the hospitals before they could get the attention of the doctors.
“But here in COOUTH Awka, the case is not the same. The state government under governor Chukwuma Soludo is always in the monitoring mood to ensure that no patient admitted to COOUTH lacks prompt attention.
“You can investigate, most complex health issues are referred to COOUTH from other States, because of the facilities on ground and the capable hands available. So we have no challenges of bed spaces in COOUTH. There are enough beds to accommodate the sick”.
According to the CMD, COOUTh is equipped with notable healthcare facilities including an ultra-modern Mother and Child Referral Centre built by Chevron LTD; Dialysis Centre; private ward and 64 slide CT scan put up by the Anambra State Government.
He said about 126 wards and the introduction of a dialysis centre for those with kidney problems in the hospital, is to “assist the state government to achieve its dream of bringing healthcare service to the doorsteps of the people, saying that the private wards were built and equipped with ultra-modern equipment to prevent frequent overseas health travels”.
“The 64 Slide CT scan, would make it easier for those seeking such service as it would reduce the cost and time of embarking on long-distance travel.”
He, however, said any Teaching Hospitals or Federal Medical Centres that does not have challenges of bed spaces, means that such facility lacks all-round capacity to work optimally.
