The Abia House of Assembly Committee on Health has expressed deep disappointment over the “pitiable condition” of the Ohafia General Hospital.
The committee made the remark on Friday, when its members paid a fact-finding visit to the facility, located at Amaekpu Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government Area.
It blamed the poor state of the hospital on the lack of seriousness on the part of the management.
Addressing journalists at the end of the visit, the committee Chairman, Hon. Stanley Nwabuisi, Member Representing Ikwuano state constituency expressed concern over the level of infrastructural decay and the lack of ammenities at the facility.
He also decried the porous security situation in the place and obvious lack of commitment among the hospital’s members of staff, among other lapses.
He said: “We have come, we have looked around and we will go back and sit down as a committee and come up with a report which we will present to the House.
“But from what we have seen so far, we are really not impressed with the way the hospital is being managed.”
Also, Deputy Speaker Ifeanyi Uchendu said he raised the case about the hospital as a matter of urgent public importance because it had since stopped functioning.
Uchendu said that the hospital was battling with the challenges of insecurity and power which, according to him, discourage patients from patronising it.
“The doctors and nurses also need to take their work seriously. They don’t come to work. They visit their patients in their homes.
“The hospital is not generating revenue for the state,” said Uchendu, who is representing Ohafia South.
Earlier, Sunday Okocha, the Doctor-in-Charge of the hospital, described insecurity as the major challenge facing the hospital.
Okocha said that the place was prone to attack by herdsmen, pointing out that passersby, herdsmen and their cattle enjoyed unfettered access to the hospital premises.
He said: “Some patients, who managed to come here, usually complain that their security is not guaranteed.
“We don’t have light here too. If you come here at night it is very dark,
“We do not have water to work. We don’t have water to wash hands even after examining our patients.
“We manage to buy water from tankers but it is usually not enough to serve us.”
The Chief Matron, Mrs Juliet Ochia, said the hospital did not build any maternity ward, adding that what was in place was improvised.
Ochia said that expectant mothers were only coming to the place for ante-natal but would go to other maternity centres for their delivery.
She also decried mosquito infestation at the hospital and appealed for provision of mosquito nets.
The laboratory scientist said on the condition of anonymity that most equipment in the pathology laboratory were non functional.
He said that the development made it difficult for them to carry out chemistry tests, except the routine ones.
There was no single patient on admission at the hospital at the time of the committee’s visit.
Other committee members in the delegation were Hon. Chijioke Chukwu, Deputy Minority Leader and Member, Representing Bende North; Hon. Mike Ukoha, Minority Whip and member representing Arochukwu.
Also in the delegation included Hon. Jerry Uzosike, Member, Representing Umuahia South and Dr Joe Osuji, the state’s Commissioner for Health and Dr Ray Ibe, Director of Administration, Abia State Hospital Management Board.
