Odili Ogochukwu –
More medical practitioners should be redeployed to Central Hospital Ughelli, in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, for improved health care services.
This will address the delay encountered by the enormous population of patients who thronged in the hospital before getting assistance of the healthcare officers.
Most of the people, including pregnant women who need medical attention strive to register their presence early enough at the hospital to increase their chances of seeing a medical expert.
It was, however, learnt that it took several hours before getting a doctor’s attention as most of them who arrived at the hospital at 5a.m got medical attention at 4p.m while others patients are left to their fates.
A reasonable number of patients who shared their experiences with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity complained of the delay in seeing a doctor.
A mother of two who visited the hospital on Monday said, “I am tired of waiting for a doctor. I arrived at the hospital as early as 5a.m. It is almost 2p.m; I have not seen a doctor. This is not news.
“It has always been like this. It is a repeat of my last experience that I brought my two children to the hospital. It was around 5p.m that we were attended to. Seeing a doctor here is not easy here,” she said.
A kidnapped victim, who sustained a gunshot injury, (name withheld), called on the state government to furnish the hospital with more doctors to improve in their areas of delivery networks.
He alleged that the doctors at the hospital are not enough to service the large number of patients who called at the place from far and near.
According to him, “This hospital receives thousands of patients on daily basis with a fewer doctors to treat them. The government should do something about this. More doctors should be employed for effective service delivery.
“From what I am seeing, this hospital cannot handle an emergency. There is no day one won’t spend hours in this hospital before seeing a doctor. Even, the few doctors around are over-stressed too.”
Meanwhile, an interaction with a surgeon who examined a hernia patient on December 05, 2023, confirmed that the hospital is in dime need of more health care professionals.
“We don’t have space in this hospital right now, and I am the only one (orthopaedic Doctor) around. We cannot admit any patient for such operation as the whole place is filled up. If you can’t wait till March 27, 2024, look for another hospital to operate it,” the doctor told the hernia patient.
