The chief medical director of University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof Darlington Obaseki, said the hospital attends to about 300,000 out-patients annually while about 300 to 500 are admitted daily in the health facility.
Obaseki noted that for smooth running of the hospital, he resumes duty by 7am and closes at 7pm to ensure that the hospital maintain its status of providing quality and accessible healthcare.
He stated that manning a teaching hospital like UBTH is tasking, adding that he alongside some staff manned the COVID-19 wards during the pandemic.
“That period was challenging because I don’t want any segment of the hospital to be closed down,” he said.
The CMD whose two terms of eight-year tenure comes to an end on August 17, disclosed this an during an interactive session in Benin after a media tour of the hospital facilities.
He added that the hospital has been digitalised for end-to-end operations, adding that fibre optic cables have also been laid round the hospital for stable electricity.
“We see 1,500 patients in our clinics daily, and about 300,000 out-patients in a year, while about 500 to 600 patients are on admission every day. The challenges in catering for these patients are enormous for health workers amid a challenging economy.
“Keeping staff happy and motivated is tasking. What we have done is to try to be there for them because it’s only a happy staff that can treat a patient well.
“And I am proud that the hospital has enjoyed industrial harmony in the last 8 years. The health workers have not had cause to down-tool,” he stated.
The CMD also dismissed the alleged exorbitant healthcare cost in the hospital, noting that, “UBTH in actual sense, subsidises its services.
“Our specialist consultation fee, for instance, is 2,500, whereas, in some hospitals within the state, they charge as high as N10,000.”
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