Alleged mismanagement: Enugu Assembly summons Teaching Hospital CMD, others
The Enugu State House of Assembly, on Thursday, summoned the Chief Medical Director, CMD, Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital, Parlane, Enugu, Dr. Gabriel Njeze, to appear before the House on Tuesday, November 15, 2016, to explain the poor services witnessed in the hospital that has been costing the lives of patients.
Also called to appear before the State Assembly with Njeze include the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sam Ngwu, as well as the Acting Director of Finance of the Hospital.
Member representing Isi-Uzo Constituency, Dr. Dan Chukwuemeka Ogbuabor, presented a motion of urgent public importance requesting the invitation of the Chief Medical Director, ESUT Teaching Hospital, Dr. Gabriel Njeze, for questioning.
Ogbuabor in the motion titled,' Immediate invitation of the Chief Medical Director of ESUT Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu, to explain to the House, the conduct of affairs of the Teaching Hospital and why under his watch, services of the teaching hospital have deteriorated abysmally,' painted a gory picture of the rot in the hospital that patients that need emergency are not catered for.
Ogbuabor who is also the House Committee Chairman on Health, lamented that when they went to the hospital for an oversight function, they met it in a deplorable condition.
He said that during their oversight, his team observed that quality of services delivered by the hospital had degenerated despite 'unacceptably high cost of services.'
They equally observed among other things that the accident and emergency unit of the hospital turns down sick and dying patients and is not responsive and does not promptly initiate care even for critically injured patients.
Part of the rot that shocked the committee members is that the hospital lacked water supply as it is not connected to public water supply system rather they resort to buying water from commercial tankers.
Contributing to the motion, members spoke scathingly about the poor and shabby services being rendered in the giant health institution.
Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye, Awgu North, accused the CMD of running the hospital like his personal enterprise instead of a public utility and lamented that the hospital was as good as dead.
'I thank the chairman and members for a job well done. The CMD runs it like his father's business. He is running it like his private business. That is why people are dying there. Drugs donated are not accounted for,' Ude-Okoye declared, saying he was ready to prove his assertion if called upon.
'I have my proof. Ordinary typhoid fever killed my sister in that hospital two weeks ago. Students use lanterns instead of electricity. They buy food for N200 and eat it without meat. Are we saving lives or extinguishing lives,?' he queried.
The member representing Igbo-Eze South, Hon. Matthew Ugwueze, posited that there was mounting corruption in the hospital. He said that because doctors owned private hospitals, they care less about the institution, hence the rot.
'The problem of Parklane is corruption. They have private hospitals. Dr. Gabriel Njeze is not supposed to be there any longer,' he said.
Hon. Anthony Ogidi, Igbo-Eze North1, in his submission posited that the management is blackmailing the state government by not providing water to the hospital especially for the student doctors, while Chima Obieze of Ezeagu said that Dr. Njeze should be relieved of his duty as the CMD instead of summoning him to come to the House for questioning.
'I think the motion should have been immediate sack not for summoning but they have to be given fair hearing,' Obieze declared.
Capturing the views of his colleagues, the Speaker, Hon. Edward Ubosi, summoned the hospital management to appear before the House on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 and asked the Clerk of the House to notify the invitees of the date.