Decaying structures at Ile Ife Hospital
Welcome to the teaching hospital of the Obafemi Awolowo University, which is just a few kilometres away from the OAU campus itself. Known as the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), the sprawling health facility is situated in the heart of the ancient city of Ile-Ife, which is believed to be the cradle of […]
Welcome to the teaching hospital of the Obafemi Awolowo University, which is just a few kilometres away from the OAU campus itself. Known as the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), the sprawling health facility is situated in the heart of the ancient city of Ile-Ife, which is believed to be the cradle of the Yoruba race.
Except for its lengthy fence, there is little to differentiate the teaching hospital from other old buildings in the area. The decay is glaring on the fence and the very signpost of the teaching hospital itself. Entering the OAUTHC from the gate, it is seen that the Family Planning Clinic which is situated near the gate of the teaching hospital has a rotten roof.
A statue strategically positioned to welcome visitors to the hospital, is not spared by the decay, as it has become a shadow of itself. The long stretch of the two storey building facing the gate, stands in splendour, and a visitor would not give it a second glance. The building is poorly maintained.
While still smarting from this shocking discovery, a footway on the left side of the building, leads to the kitchen of the teaching hospital, and to another building that looks like an abandoned warehouse.
But it is actually a male ward which is overcrowded by patients. Walking through the pathway passing by the Neonatal, Kitchen, Laundry, medical library, and going towards the pharmacy department and Unit Cash Office to the administrative block, all the buildings are derelict. A toilet in a building near the threadbare administrative block where the office of the Chief Medical Officer of the Hospital, Professor Victor Adebayo Adetiloye is located, looks rundown.
The physical condition of the buildings in the teaching hospital shocks the visitor, but medical officers carry on as though all is well. Maimuna Ismaila who spoke with Daily Trust said the decay does not befit an institution of OAUTHC status ,and called on the federal government to renovate the teaching hospital. “I have visited the OAU campus before, but this is my first time here in the OAU teaching Hospital. I came to visit someone who is on admission here, and I’m surprised that the hospital is in this condition. Anyway, that is really not my problem, since I don’t pray to be here again. However, I think it would be nice if the federal government could renovate this teaching hospital,” Maimuna said.
Mr Salako Adefure was willing to complain to the management of the teaching hospital, on the need to carry out general repair on the building, but he seems to be too busy to be able to do so. When asked to comment on the condition of the buildings in the teaching hospital, Salako said “I don’t have time for that now. You can see that I’m very busy. We can see that the condition of these buildings is embarrassing, and the management of the Hospital too, cannot pretend as though they do not see it. If I have time, I would have loved to complain to the people in charge of the hospital, but as you can see, I’m very busy.”
Medical doctors and nurses refused to speak with our correspondent, but their countenance showed that they were not happy with the situation.
Also, the attempt by our correspondent to talk to some of the patients on admission, was thwarted by the hospital security men, strategically positioned at every ward. The mood of some of the relatives of patients who were seen outside the wards, did not encourage this reporter to approach them for interviews, as many of them wore long faces. Meanwhile, it is also significant to mention that the hospital cleaners were doing a great job. Every nook and cranny of the teaching hospital was properly swept and tidied up, while the refuse was properly disposed of and all the bins were empty.
The cleaners could only remove dirt on the walls and sweep the floors, but the decay on the buildings remained. The situation was the same in other areas visited by Daily Trust, beyond the extension area where newly built structures were sighted. Daily Trust gathered that one of the wards in the extension area which was christened “Amenity Ward,” was a Private Suite set up by the management of the hospital. The Amenity Private Suite is located at the phase IV of the OAUTHC, not far from the Sub-Surgical Speciality Building. Our correspondent also learnt that patients who require specialised services go to the Amenity Ward. Whereas, the medical fee at Amenity Ward, may be different from what is obtainable in the phase 1 and phase II of the hospital.
Speaking with Daily Trust in his office, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of OAUTHC, Olusakin Oladeji said a teaching hospital goes beyond buildings and its physical outlook. He insisted that “OAUTHC remains a leading centre of excellence in the health sector in the country.”
OAUTHC has been providing quality health care services, not only to the people of the South-West, but Nigeria as a whole. OAUTHC has state-of-the-art health equipment, and other hospitals in the country have been referring their patients to OAUTHC, for comprehensive treatment. It is not about the building.
Olusakin maintained that the management of the teaching hospital under the leadership of the CMD, Professor Adetiloye is committed to making effective and efficient health care service accessible to members of the public.
“We are very lucky to have a visionary person, Professor Victor Adebayo Adetiloye as our CMD. The management of OAU THC has always ensured that the hospital has all the necessary equipment you can find in a world class teaching hospital, and I can also tell you that OAUTHC has qualified Medical personnel. Therefore, do not judge this teaching hospital based on the physical condition of the buildings that you saw,” OAUTHC’s PRO said.