…say patients volume drop by over 80%
Concerned staff of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH have raised the alarm over what they described as increased prices of services at the hospital which they said has reduced the volume of patients accessing care in UCTH by
80%.
In a press release signed by Ipole Edom and Theophilus Eyong on behalf of “Concerned Staff”, made available to newsmen Thursday, the group lamented the increase adding that an average CrossRiverians can no longer afford to pay for the services of the tertiary health Institution.
They further bemoaned that the increase has resulted in patients going to General Hospital, Navy Reference Hospital as well as private hospitals owned by friends and critical stakeholders in the hospital.
The statement read: “The rate at which the hospital bill increased from 2019 has become a great source of worry to the level that poor Cross Riverians
and indeed most people living in the state cannot afford to go to UCTH for their health.
“The result is that they now go to the General Hospital, Navy Reference Hospital or Private hospitals owned by some management staff. The volume of patients accessing care in UCTH has reduced by 80% from the March 2019 volume.
“For Instance, Hospital Card fee moved from N1000.00 in 2019 to N4,000.00 in 2021 (Adults) and N500 in 2019 to N3,000.00 in 2021 (children). Also, delivery fee moved from 20,000.00 in 2019 to N68,000.00 in 2021.
“All operation fees are increased by 300% from the March 2019 fees. Bed fee deposit was increased from the N10,000.00 of 2019 to N30,000.00 in 2021,” they stated.
“One cannot help but to laugh over the “magic” performed in the development of UCTH in two years. If the authors of the publication are smart, they would have known that governance is a continuum.
They should have known that majority of the so-called achievements in two years were projects initiated and appropriated for by his
predecessors.
“The 2019 budget of the hospital that was appropriated was presented by his predecessor. He has only made and appropriated the 2020 budget.
“Are they also aware that the Federal
Government released
N176, 817,307.69 for UCTH Intensive Care Unit and N103, 596,154.13
for Isolation Centre? You probably do not know the origins.
“We commend him for completing the renovation of the labour ward
and the antenatal clinic started by his predecessors. We also commend him for bringing a team to start PPP in the Radiology Department in line with Government policy.
“We find it very hard to believe that the authors of the publications claim that the hospital now has power 24/7. This is laughable because they are not aware that PHEDC has dimonnected the hospital from public power supply, diesel suppliers are no longer ready to supply, operations are cancelled everyday,
“Do they also know that there are persons who have been under suspension in the last 18 months and the investigation of their offenses have remained inconclusive, well, we will not join issues any further at the juncture until it is necessary,” they stated.
