From Chiangi Avese, Makurdi
The Chief Medical Director (CMD), of Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Dr. Stephen Hwande has said the hospital has destroyed drugs and other consumables worth over N200 million and is seeking relevant authorities’ approval to dispose of over 100 corpses abandoned at the mortuary, some of them, for over three years.
The CMD who was addressing Journalists after his tour of the hospital explained that the management of the hospital had already written to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bartholomew Onyeka, informing him of the development, and his consent to dispose of the corpses.
The AUTHORITY learnt that most of the corpses abandoned were those either brought to the hospital by the police or soldiers from scenes of herdsmen attacks or, from accidents and have remained unclaimed since then.
The CMD noted with disdain that, “there are over 100 unclaimed corpses in the morgue. For the corpses, we have written to the commissioner of Police to give us the right to dispose of them”.
Expressing his disappointment in another development, Dr Hwande said, “What is happening here today is the destruction of expired drugs by the hospital. I came in here two weeks ago with a mandate by Governor Hyacinth Alia to revamp and restore the dignity and confidence of this place. On assumption, I went around the stores and discovered expired drugs worth over N200 million and consumables in the stores. That large quantity of drugs could be used to set up the biggest pharmacy in the state”
He said, “It is surprising that these are drugs acquired by the hospital to be used for patients. So, why the drugs were abandoned to the point of expiry, one cannot say”.
Dr. Hwande explained that “when you get drugs with short dates, what to do is to convey some of it to other hospitals, or, you can even do medical outreach with the drugs before they expire. There is no reason why you should have drugs worth this amount of money expiring in this hospital when the whole state needs drugs”.
According to the CMD, the option to destroy the drugs was to keep people from using them against advice.
He further explained that there was no reason to privatise the pharmacy with drugs worth millions of naira just to leave the drugs to expire.
“I am in discussions with top pharmaceutical companies geared at supplying the hospital with quality drugs to enable us to maintain a top-level service and stop unwholesome practices in the hospital. I have also written off the privatized Radiology section to bring it back under the hospital management”, Dr. Hwande said.
The drugs set ablaze, include antibiotics, antihypertensive, and anti-malaria, including consumables like iodine, bandages and urine bags.
Dr. Hwande disclosed that “the hospital started the Mother and Child care two days ago. We are running an outpatient, health insurance, that is where we want to start the IVF (Invitro Fertilization) too and then, the maternity. Mother and child consultations are free for children under 5 and pregnant women”.
